Chris Avellon sued the girls who accused him of harassment and lost his job

A year after the harassment allegations, the famous game designer and screenwriter Chris Avellone spoke about the situation for the first time. He told his version of events in detail, pointed out the inaccuracies in the words of the girls and recalled how he lost his job in one day because of the cancellation culture. Avellon has also filed a libel suit and intends to defend himself in court.Source: Critical Path

The main thing from Avellon’s answer

On June 26, Avellon spoke in detail for the first time about the chronology of his relationship with Karissa Barrows — starting in 2012 and ending with her accusations in June last year.

• He also cited the story of meeting her friend Jacqui Collins, because of the connection with which Carissa eventually got angry at Avellona.The screenwriter also drew attention to the 60 thousand tweets that Carissa deleted after she made the accusations.
• For example, in 2014, the girl said that she had never faced harassment — at that time Avellon was in a relationship with Jackie and had known Carissa for a long time.Avellon cited a number of inconsistencies in the behavior and testimony of the girls who accused him of harassment.
• In particular, their friend Kelly Bristol publicly supported Carissa last year and accused Avellon, although he does not even remember meeting her.He also noted that initially he hoped that there was no malicious intent in the girls’ accusations.
• The game designer was silent to allow everyone to be heard. However, he now believes that these were malicious acts committed, possibly as revenge.Avellon recalled that he lost his job because of the accusations.
• The studios with which he collaborated did not even try to understand the situation or conduct at least some kind of investigation. He was charged on Friday, and on Monday morning the contract with him was terminated by Techland and other companies.The game designer believes that the main reason for this is the cancellation culture.
• Due to public pressure, the person against whom such accusations are made cannot do anything with them. Companies are also unable to resist this, because due to the lack of reaction, they can be canceled or accused of silence and distrust of the alleged victims. That’s partly why he doesn’t hold a grudge against his former employers.Avellon said that the media did not check the facts and statements of Carissa, who eventually began to refer to publications in the press as evidence of her words.
• However, the screenwriter noted that the journalists only relayed her accusations, and did not provide additional facts.In particular, he recalled an article by The Gamer with the headline: “Chris Avellon allegedly drugged and harassed countless women.”
• Some media outlets did try to contact him, but at that moment he was not ready to make public comments.Friends and colleagues advised Chris to never apologize and defend himself using the judicial system.
• Initially, he did not want to file a lawsuit because he wanted to let all parties speak out. However, observing the development of events, Avellon changed his mind on this issue.”I tried to dispel misconceptions, to let everyone be heard, but obviously I was wrong.
• The attacks on me were made out of malice. I am ready to defend myself, and to clarify this issue is the first step in this direction,” Chris said at the end of his answer, promising to share new details.The main thing from Avellona’s lawsuit

On June 16, the game designer filed a libel lawsuit in the California Supreme Court – the document was found shortly after the publication of Avellon’s big response.

• It lists Carissa Barrows and Kelly Bristol as defendants.The screenwriter notes that Barrows’ accusations have caused him reputational damage.
• Because of her statements, he also lost his job and still cannot find a place in gaming companies. According to Avellon, he was the victim of public humiliation.He stated that he had never pursued anyone for the purpose of entering into sexual contact without consent, and there was simply no direct evidence of such behavior on the part of the game designer.
• The lawsuit cites certified copies of press publications, Barrows’ tweets and her deleted messages on social networks and forums.
• Because of the slander from the girls and posts in the gaming media, people may get the impression that Avellon is really a sexual maniac who harasses girls and uses his position to get them drunk. It also damages his reputation.Avellon asked the court to compensate him for real and moral damages, court costs, as well as impose a fine and a binding injunction on Bristol and Barrows.
• The amount of compensation must be determined during the proceedings.So far, the girls have not reacted in any way to the lawsuit and Avellon’s big response.
• Barrows only closed her social media profiles.