Richard Lewis: SumaiL sued Evil Geniuses for contract breach and "attempts to strong-arm Plaintiff out of the well-earned benefits of his labors and talent"
2023-03-10 17:09:00Richard Lewis released an article revealing a long-lasting legal battle between Syed "SumaiL" Hassan and his former organization, Evil Geniuses. If to believe the charges against EG, they tried to strip SumaiL of his shares in the company, using multiple "unconscionable and ambiguous terms" to confuse the "young and naive Plaintiff."
The article also reveals his contractual salary from August (backdated to May 2019) to August 2020. During this time, he was paid $20,000 per month. After TI9, however, the organization presented him with an amendment, which he signed to compete elsewhere. That brought down his salary to just $2,000 and still forbade him from playing in "any competitions with his new team [Quincy Crew] except the qualifier for the upcoming Dota Major."
Overall, there are 11 charges against EG, as seen in the image of the document presented by Lewis.
SumaiL also owned a significant amount of Evil Geniuses shares, initially 400,000. EG suggested buying them in February 2020, paying $300,000 upfront and the last $700,000 in three instalments after he finishes his career. He was only 21 at the time.
SumaiL's attorneys point to the many attempts to conceal the true nature of contracts, confuse and take advantage of SumaiL's inexperience in such operations. They claim that Hassan "never received any value whatsoever for his shares and/or units, despite his long-term commitment and dedication to EG and its esports operations." To sum it up, they frame it as "multiple attempts to strong-arm Plaintiff out of the well-earned benefits of his labors and talent," claiming the player was "coerced" into signing the termination agreement.
Evil Geniuses denied all allegations. The case had multiple delays, and the jury trial will process the case on June 26 2023.
