Gaming boss wins job court battle
THE Irish head of one of the world’s biggest video game makers, who was sacked after telling a female colleague that an internal company discussion shouldn’t be about seeing ‘who has the bigger d**k’ , has won his High Court battle to keep his job – for now.
Galway-based Jean Philippe Grenet, 56, will continue to receive his €160,000-a-year salary – and will be in line for a possible bonus payout in 2019 – as a result of yesterday’s High Court decision.
The married father-of-one will be paid his salary between now and the eventual full trial of his action against EA Ireland. That case, at which he will fight to stay in his job permanently, is unlikely to take place for another 12 months.
Mr Grenet was dismissed less than six months after he was hired to run the Ballybrit, Galway, office of the global outfit which makes popular video games including Fifa Soccer.
He was dismissed by EA last month after admitting to using the word ‘d***’ during a video conference call in recent weeks.
The American woman he spoke to on the conference call, referred to in court as Ms S, made a sexual harassment complaint following their conversation.
Mr Grenet admitted to making a ‘clumsy’ remark – but there was a dispute over what he actually said on the conference call of November 9 last. Referring to another female colleague in the company, it was alleged that he told Ms S, who is based in Texas, that he was ‘not going to pull my d*** out and put it on the table… to see who has the bigger d***.’
But Mr Grenet claimed that he actually commented that he didn’t want to ‘compare the length of my d***’ with the other colleague in question.
His remark was ‘not a joke nor intended as such’, and was not directed at Ms S herself, his lawyers told the court.
Judge Tony O’Connor ordered EA Ireland not to dismiss the French native pending a full trial of his action next year, and not to appoint anyone to replace him in the meantime.
Lawyers for the company told the court they may appeal.
Mr Grenet said he was pleased with the court’s decision.