Phantoml0rd claims Twitch broke US law and “bragged about” it in court

After winning the first stage of his Twitch lawsuit, James ‘PhantomL0rd’ Vargas claimed the company “bragged” about treating its partners however it wants despite breaking the law and violating contracts.

PhantomL0rd won his lawsuit against Twitch after they banned him back in 2016, receiving a little more than $20,000 in damages.

However, he revealed it was only the “first phase” of the legal proceedings and has since claimed Twitch is trying to silence him from talking about it and that the company has a “secret strike guide” for deciding bans.

Now, in the latest update, he’s pushing it one step further, saying Twitch broke Californian law — and “bragged” about it.

“The details that came out at the trial were shocking. Twitch bragged about how it can treat its partners however it sees fit because it is a private company—no matter the contracts it agreed to,” he said, reflecting on the trial.

“It hides its rules from streamers and acts to save its own image at the expense of everyone who uses Twitch.”

• Read More: Indiefoxx stripped of Twitch partnership after sixth ban

Vargas claimed Twitch’s action are in violation of California’s Unfair Competition Law, and has requested the court finds in favor of that.

The state law prohibits illegal business practices and could lead to them reinstating him on the platform.

Phantoml0rd lawsuit could save exiled streamers like Dr Disrespect

If the case moves forward, it could also change how Twitch handles permanent bans, which could help “millions of other streamers”, including Dr Disrespect, who was controversially banned without being given a reason.

Phantoml0rd’s lawyer requested that Twitch needs to make a clearly defined written policy to regulate its disciplinary process and cannot permanently ban streamers without giving them sufficient notice, an explanation, and a chance to right their wrongs.

• Read More: One year on from Dr Disrespect’s Twitch ban: What have we learned?

If the jury rules in his favor, not only would it bring some closure to Dr Disrespect’s situation, but it could also bring him back to the platform.

However, the bigger thing is that now, it’s not just Phantoml0rd’s trial against Twitch. What started out as a fight for one streamer and his right to return could end up changing the platform forever.