GTA V producer hits speed bump in $150M lawsuit against Rockstar

Former Rockstar North chief and Grand Theft Auto V producer Leslie Benzies has suffered a setback in his lawsuit against Rockstar.

Benzies is currently suing Rockstar, its owner Take-Two, and studio co-founders Sam and Dan Houser for unpaid royalties in excess of $150 million after alleging he was unlawfully dismissed on April 1, 2015. 

He claims all three parties worked together to force him out of the company and terminate his royalty payments, which would've entitled him to an equal three-way split of profit sharing payments with the Housers. 

However, the New York Supreme Court has ruled that the profit sharing agreement Benzies signed doesn't actually grant him a $150 million cut, as it "contains no language mandating equal payments." 

Despite that, the court agrees that Benzies is entitled to "certain royalties" as part of his compensation, and that Rockstar did indeed breach its employment agreement based on salary and stock withheld. 

In short, that means Benzies could still be in line for a significant payout, given GTA V continues to bring home the bacon for Rockstar and Take-Two.