New details in the legal drama surrounding ZA/UM and original creators of Disco Elysium have emerged. One of the lawsuits against the company has been withdrawn, and its majority shareholder had to pay back €4.8 million he illegally pulled from the studio.
Kaur Kender, Estonian author and producer of Disco Elysium, recently withdrew his lawsuit against Tütreke, a firm that holds a majority stake in ZA/UM.
The reasons for this decision remain undisclosed. Here is what Ilmar Kompus, the current CEO of ZA/UM and head of Tütreke, told GamesIndustry.biz:
“The facts and the law led to this outcome. We are pleased that Kender and his attorneys have chosen to withdraw their lawsuit — one that should never have been filed in the first place. Their decision affirms there was no basis for their accusations and that I have acted appropriately and responsibly, as underscored by the corporate records I provided.”
The information about the case first appeared last month. According to Kender, he was forced out of the studio after asking difficult questions about its future. He then decided to file a lawsuit against Kompus, claiming that the businessman also cheated him out of €913k.
On October 28, the court agreed to seize Tütreke’s controlling stake in ZA/UM to prevent the company’s potential sellout during ongoing legal procedures. But given that the lawsuit has been withdrawn, the case won’t move further in Estonian courts.
Ilmar Kompus is one of the key figures in the legal drama surrounding Disco Elysium. Kender, as well as the game’s original creators Robert Kurvitz and Alexander Rostov, accuse him of illegally taking over ZA/UM.
According to the allegations, Tütreke bought several sketches related to a Disco Elysium sequel for €1 and then re-sold them to ZA/UM for €4.8 million. Kompus used this money to purchase the controlling stake in the studio.
UPD: As reported by Estonian newspaper Eesti Ekspress, the €4.8 million was recently paid back to ZA/UM in three parts. The money was returned because Tütreke received it “on the basis of a void transaction” and without consent of other shareholders. It is worth noting that Kompus didn’t mention this in his latest comment.
Kurvitz also filed a lawsuit against ZA/UM via his own firm Telomer OÜ. The court date was set for November 28, but details about the hearing’s outcome remain undisclosed. On top of that, Kurvitz and Rostov plan to sue the company in both Estonian and UK jurisdictions, believing that Kompus’ actions were criminal.