Influencer Alissa Violet is suing FaZe Clan, alleging she’s owed shares in the esports organisation that she has yet to receive.
The lawsuit stems from a botched business deal made back in 2018 involving FaZe Clan and CloutGang— a creator collective that was co-founded by Alissa and FaZe Clan member FaZe Banks while the two were dating.
Here’s a full rundown on why Alissa Violet is suing FaZe Clan and the all the context you need to know.
Alissa Violet & Team 10
After gaining over 600K followers on Vine, Alissa moved to Los Angeles in 2015 to start a modeling career. She was already friendly with Jake Paul at the time (he was the one who reportedly convinced her to move to LA), and Alissa moved into the Team 10 house as a founding member in 2016.
Alissa and Jake began dating that same year, however, they split in 2017 following cheating allegations from both sides, including rumours that Alissa had cheated on Jake with his brother Logan Paul. Jake kicked Alissa out of the Team 10 house and Alissa has since accused Jake of being physically and mentally abusive towards her throughout their relationship.
Alissa co-founds CloutGang with FaZe Banks
Following Alissa’s exit from Team 10, she started dating FaZe Clan’s FaZe Banks. Together, the couple launched CloutGang in 2017. Though no official social media channels ever launched for the group (aside from a YouTube channel that no longer exists), members included RiceGum, Sommer Ray, and Carrington Durham.
The collective lived together in an LA mansion which they called the ‘Clout House’.
FaZe Clan & Hubrick Limited enter into a partnership
In 2018, FaZe Clan partnered with Hubrick Limited— a now-defunct social media company that allegedly played an integral role in getting FaZe Clan off the ground by recruiting top gamers, helping them launch various social media channels, and even funding $1.3 million in operational costs.
FaZe Clan and Hubrick reportedly operated as a joint venture, even sharing an office space. The idea was that this partnership would help build credibility for both businesses.
CloutGang, FaZe Clan & Hubrick Limited swap shares, but it goes south
According to the claims filed in the present-day, Alissa made a deal with FaZe Clan in 2018 to transfer shares of CloutGang to Hubrick Limited. In exchange, Alissa would receive stock in Hubrick Limited. Several members of FaZe Clan also participated in this exchange— swapping shares in FaZe Clan for shares in Hubrick Limited.
The reasoning behind this strategy is unclear.
Shortly after, the partnership between FaZe Clan and Hubrick Limited dissolved following claims that FaZe Clan members ransacked their office and stole computers, equipment, and data from Hubrick Limited an in effort to take over their joint business.
Hubrick Limited then filed a lawsuit against FaZe Clan for intentional interference with prospective economic advantage and misappropriation of trade secrets.
FaZe Clan, CloutGang, Alissa herself, and several others responded by suing Hubrick Limited for fraud months later.
Alissa entered into an oral agreement with FaZe Clan
In an effort to settle the lawsuits with Hubrick Limited, Alissa says she entered into an oral agreement with FaZe Clan wherein she would give up her stock in Hubrick Limited as well as her claims against the company and as a result, she would receive common stock in FaZe Clan.
Then in December 2019, Alissa and FaZe Banks split. Both parties took to Twitter to air their relationship drama, with Alissa accusing Banks of cheating on her, neglecting their dogs, and breaking her cell phones.
Alissa Violet sues FaZe Clan
In her 2021 filing, Alissa now claims that when the lawsuits against Hubrick Limited were settled and she had relinquished her shares, she did not receive the promised stock in FaZe Clan.
“FaZe Clan is being sued because it specifically promised to compensate Alissa when it asked her to relinquish her Hubrick stock and asked her to dismiss her claims against Hubrick and others,” Alissa’s attourney Bryan Freedman told The Washington Post. “If FaZe Clan simply abided by its promise to compensate her, Alissa would not have had to sue FaZe Clan.”
FaZe Clan denies Alissa’s allegations, with CEO Lee Trink calling them “stories” that spawned from a “disagreement or dispute” that he believes will be “resolved amicably”.
Check back for updates on how this lawsuit unfolds.