Composer Marty O’Donnell was unceremoniously fired by Bungie back in April after more than a decade of service, most notably on the Halo franchise. Now, he’s taking Bungie to court over the company’s alleged failure to pay him benefits owed. On May 1 O’Donnell filed a complaint against Bungie president Harold Ryan in Washington Superior Court seeking double damages — that is, twice the amount of any actual damage the court may decide he is owed. O’Donnell claims Ryan promised that Bungie would compensate him for accrued company benefits like unused vacation days, paid time off, and the like in the wake of his departure. Bungie has established a policy of doing so for all departing employees, but O’Donnell claims it has so far failed to do so for him. Last Tuesday, Ryan responded by filing documents denying the allegations and seeking court dismissal of the case. A copy of the lawsuit published by a VentureBeat reporter reveals that O’Donnell is also working out some additional grievances with Bungie and Ryan in arbitration, and if those deliberations are unsatisfactory O’Donnell may also seek to redress them in court.
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2014