In a sudden twist of events, eSports team FaZe Clan has sued its former player Turner “Tfue” Tenney. Earlier on, the professional Fortnite player has sued the organization for exploitation. In a lawsuit submitted to the New York jurisdiction, FaZe Clan accuses Tfue of disparaging FaZe Clan and planning to rival the company with a new eSports company. Another of FaZe Clans concerns is an injunction to stop Tfue from revealing any confidential information about the company.
“Tenney is taking the valuable information he learned from Faze Clan, which he is obligated to keep secret, and using it to create a rival to Faze Clan or otherwise support rival gamers and gaming organizations.” said the company.
The eSports company is also seeking to stop further disparaging remarks from Tfue, who has constantly been attacking his former employees. He is also not to influence the current roster at FaZe Clan. This is amid the departure of Dennis “Cloakzy” Lepore, Tfue’s teammate at FaZe Clan.
In response, Tenney’s lawyer termed the counter-suit as ridiculous, and a desperate attempt to avoid the consequences of California’s Talent Agencies Act violation. Already in the counter- suit, FaZe Clan is admitting that it violated California law by procuring employment without the required license. But funny enough, it is suing Turner based on an illegal contract. He also argued that with FaZe Clan filing a lawsuit in New York, it is a clear indication that the company is guilty to the violations in California.
In Tfue’s earlier lawsuit, the Fortnite star complained of exploitation and restriction from business opportunities. He described his contract as “oppressive, onerous and one-sided.” Tfue also said that FaZe Clan had denied him his fair share of the sponsorship earnings, the company ending up with 80%.
In recent times, there has been a lot of controversy on what a fair eSports contract looks like. Many eSports players have complained of exploitation from the teams they work under.
For FaZe Clan, there was no exploitation whatsoever. The company reiterates that not all eSports players they sign hit the jackpot – it’s all about risks. “Though a rookie athlete, Tenney was an adult when he signed his contract,” Faze says. “An initial rookie contract is a risk that the organization takes; most young players’ young careers never take off.”
In Tfue’s case, the company was to collect 80% but had collected only $60,000 from Tfue, yet the Fortnite star had made over $20 million.
