Epic reaches lawsuit settlement with former contractor who was also a notorious Fortnite leaker

Epic Games has reached a proposed settlement with a former contractor who it accused in March of being notorious Fortnite leaker AdiraFN. The agreement will see the defendant permanently barred from “possessing, accessing, using, or disclosing any of Epic’s confidential or trade secret information,” or helping anyone else do the same.

Epic filed the action in March, alleging that AdiraFN, who had revealed information on numerous Fortnite collaborations before they were announced, was in fact former Fortnite contractor Hayden Cohen. Cohen had signed an NDA as required by the terms of his agreement, but then did exactly the opposite of what he promised to do and, Epic alleged, “repeatedly misappropriated Epic’s trade secret information and broadcasted it publicly through his anonymous social media accounts on X (formerly Twitter) and Discord.”

Epic confirmed the proposed settlement in a statement provided to PC Gamer. “We took legal action against the former contractor who repeatedly leaked confidential partner IP and trade secrets that they received while working with Epic,” Epic Games director of corporate communications Natalie Munoz said. “We’ve asked the court to approve the stipulated injunction to ensure they cannot publish or share Epic’s confidential information again.”

As noted by Game File, the proposed settlement notes only the injunction against Cohen, and makes no mention of any monetary penalty, even though Epic’s initial complaint sought “compensatory damages, including actual loss and unjust enrichment,” plus legal fees and other expenses. Epic has previously pursued and won financial awards against Fortnite cheaters, but Munoz said the company had nothing further to share. The proposed settlement must now be approved by a judge.