A labor judge in Brazil has ordered the esports group, Imperial, to pay damages to the family of Matheus ‘bruttJ’ Queiroz, a CS:GO player who passed away in 2019.
On December 15, 2019, bruttJ, who was 19 years old, passed away in a Rio de Janeiro hospital due to an unspecified infection of the central nervous system. He had left Imperial’s gambling house in Sao Paulo a week earlier, complaining of headaches, and had gone back to Rio de Janeiro to recuperate near his family.
After complaining of headaches a week earlier, he had left Imperial’s gambling house, which was located in Sao Paulo, and returned to Rio de Janeiro in order to heal close to his family there.
The Brazilian labor judge, Patricia Almeida Ramos, came to the conclusion that Imperial “indirectly contributed” to bruttJ’s passing since the company had failed to meet its legal and contractual obligations regarding bruttJ’s health.
When bruttJ’s health started to deteriorate, Ramos contended that Imperial failed to provide “any form of help” to him and did not provide a working atmosphere that was “healthy, safe, and comfortable.” During the short time that bruttJ spent in Imperial’s gaming house, he was taken to the hospital multiple times for treatment of a disease that the medical professionals were unable to identify.
The labor judge stated that from the moment bruttJ started working for Imperial and residing in their gaming house, the company’s responsibility for his health became “a legal and contractual obligation.” This was due to the fact that there was no separation between his professional activities and his personal life.
According to what Ramos stated in the decision, “the structure of the gaming house left a lot to be desired,” to the point where the athlete was unable to eat healthily or sleep correctly because of the conditions. Given the circumstances, it is clear that he was unable to physically recover. This was made obvious to everyone who came into contact with him by the three or four trips he made in a short period of time to public hospitals. Everyone with whom he came into contact saw this.
“None of this occurred with the company’s involvement, despite Imperial’s obligations under the law and the terms of the contract. The firm’s responsibility for the events that occurred and other related matters is beyond dispute.
The Reapers and the Imperial, the player’s previous clubs, are being sued by the family of the player known as bruttJ on the grounds that they should be held accountable for the welfare of the athletes they hire.
The court emphasized in its decision on Monday that it is impossible to say whether bruttJ would still be alive if Imperial had carried out its obligations. According to his comments, it is currently impossible to say anything else.
The court stated: “By deciding not to comply with the specific legislation nor with the provisions of the employment contract maintained with Mr. Matheus, Imperial assumed the danger of being held liable for any eventual injury sustained by the athlete, regardless of who caused it.” “Imperial assumed the risk of being held liable for any potential injuries sustained by the athlete.
In a statement, Attorney José Augusto Rodrigues Jr., who defended Imperial in this case, stated in a statement that the organization will appeal the judgment. According to him, Imperial met all of its commitments and “offered aid to the family as well.”
The amount of the award is 400,000 Brazilian reais, which is equivalent to $74,000.
Also read: https://www.talkesport.com/news/csgo-late-bruttjs-family-files-a-lawsuit-against-his-former-teams/
