In news that I didn’t expect to – much less want to – find myself reporting on going into E3 weekend, the former composer of Halo’s legendary score has filed a lawsuit against his former employer after receiving unjust termination. It’s a sad day when you see one of your favorite composers suing one of your favorite development studios, but that’s where we find ourselves. The specifics of the lawsuit revile that O’Donnell is filing against Bungie for failing to pay him unpaid vacation time, paid time off, unpaid sabbatical time, and other benefits.

As you may recall, and as the lawsuit echoes, O’Donnell was fired on April 11 “without cause.” He had been employed at Bungie since 1999 and produced the iconic score that helped make Halo the success it is today. Over its lifetime of sales, the franchise has grossed an estimated $3.4 billion, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in Superior Court in King County in Washington. The suit was filed May 1st, and in an answer on May 27th, Bungie and former-employer Harold Ryan denied that O’Donnell was due any relief.

Separately, O’Donnell has other grievances against Bungie and Ryan, but that dispute isn’t described in the filing. He is asking for double damages in the lawsuit.

Below is some of what made O’Donnell so important to so many fans. For me, his music is one of the things that made the Halo games some of the best of all time, and is largely responsible for both my early fascination with music production and my respect for soundtrack composition.

[via, Kotaku]