Former Telltale CEO and co-founder Kevin Bruner is suing the studio over his expulsion in March last year, according to a report in the Marin Independent Journal.
Bruner helped launch the company, known for episodic game series like The Walking Dead and Tales from the Borderlands, in 2004 alongside Dan Connors and Troy Molander. He initially served as president, CTO, and director, before taking on the role of CEO in 2015.
Fast-forward to March 2017, and Bruner stepped down seemingly of his own accord, although the former CEO now alleges he was pushed out after board members sought to change the company’s business model.
He also claims he wasn’t given the necessary assistance as he attempted to sell his holdings in common and preferred stock, and was eventually purged from the Telltale board of directors via illegitimate means.
Telltale, meanwhile, has called the lawsuit “meritless,” and suggests it has been filed “as an apparent means of extracting revenge on a company already under financial strain.”
“The company is now working to turn around the decline that it experienced under Plaintiff’s stewardship,” continues the developer’s response.
Judge Roy Chernus has rejected studio’s initial attempt to defeat the lawsuit outright, and believes “there are issues that appear to deserve further examination.” With that in mind, a case management conference has been set for July 17.