Settled Lawsuit: Writer Resolves Legal Dispute with Burbank Animation Studio
A talented writer has successfully resolved her lawsuit against a prominent Burbank animation studio, where she claimed she was wrongfully terminated in 2020 after raising concerns about being sexually harassed by the company’s CEO.
The plaintiff, referred to as Jane Doe in the legal proceedings filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court in May 2021, sued Thunderbolt Pictures LLC, Gas Money Pictures, and CEO James Bills. Doe accused them of sexual battery and assault, gender violence, sexual harassment, discrimination, failure to prevent discrimination and harassment, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
Yesterday, Thunderbolt’s attorneys submitted court documents to Judge Richard Fruin, confirming that a settlement had been reached. However, the specific terms of the agreement were not disclosed. In their court papers, defense attorneys denied any liability on behalf of their clients and cited the expiration of the statute of limitations as a defense. On February 21, Doe dropped her charges against Bills.
In her lawsuit, Doe detailed her employment at the company, stating that she was hired in June 2020 and required to have two to three weekly meetings with Bills in his office to discuss an ongoing project. During their second meeting, Bills allegedly discussed his sexual relationship with his girlfriend, claiming they engaged in sexual activities three to four times daily.
The lawsuit further alleged that Bills commented, “I was a swinger for over 20 years,” and made remarks indicating his preference for short women, which seemed to target the plaintiff, who is 5-foot-1.
Doe claimed that Bills frequently showed her nude photos of his girlfriend and regularly embraced her, insisting, “Give me a hug or I will hate you forever.” The court papers also stated that Bills repeatedly made inappropriate comments such as, “You have got a great body,” “You look fantastic,” and “You are gorgeous.”
In a text message, Bills allegedly mentioned, “At some point I’m sure we’ll trade phones and see what is truly inappropriate. Oh, the secrets of my deleted bin,” adding to the evidence of his inappropriate behavior described in the complaint.
Doe’s journal entry from July 2020 revealed her discomfort with Bills’ actions, as she wrote, “He talks to me sexually, showing me pictures of women who send him their pictures, but he has a girlfriend. I feel awkward and disappointed that he crossed a line by discussing sexual matters.” The lawsuit also mentioned that Doe was simultaneously working on a script promoting female empowerment while enduring sexual harassment from her boss and raising her daughter.
Doe claimed that she reported Bills’ misconduct to management in September 2020 and initially received a sympathetic response. However, when she registered another complaint about sexual harassment later that month and expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of corrective action, management retaliated by excluding her from meetings. According to Doe, the hostile work environment persisted until she was unjustly fired for speaking out about her work conditions.
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