As reported last week, Finnish CS:GO prodigy Jamppi is preparing to sue Valve – the publisher of Valve – due to involvement with a VAC banned account. Specifically, in 2015, when he was 14 years old, Jamppi used his parents’ credit card to create and purchase a CS:GO account for a friend; later, this account was VAC banned, and Jamppi’s association was discovered, leading to a permanent ban from participating in Valve-sponsored tournaments. This ban was also the reason OG did not sign him in October 2019, opting instead for mantuu, a Polish AWP-er.
This week, the case has taken new turns as Jamppi’s family and lawyer have officially filed a lawsuit against Valve in the District Court of Eastern Uusimaa for the damages caused by this ban to his career.
In the documents submitted to the district court, Jamppi’s side demands that Valve lift this ban and allow him to participate in all tournaments, including the Major, along with compensation for the damages it has caused. Specifically, this amount totals 268,092 Euros (over 6 billion VND), of which 264,000 Euros is Jamppi’s base salary (if he had joined OG) along with a portion of prize money from tournament participation, an amount of 4,092 Euros calculated up to this point. Sebastien “Ceb” Debs, the two-time TI champion and co-owner of OG, and Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen, the captain of the CS OG team, have been named as witnesses and confirmed these amounts.
According to what Jamppi’s father and lawyer shared with the press, Jamppi immediately contacted Valve when he learned of his ban in October 2019; however, Valve maintained its stance and declared that this young talent is permanently banned from Major participation. Jamppi’s side has also made several efforts to contact Valve but received no response.
Jamppi’s lawyer stated that the regulations in Valve’s Terms of Service are very vague and contain no details regarding banning from Major tournaments as a penalty. He also asserted that a permanent punishment for a first offense by a 14-year-old boy is “very unreasonable” and “unprecedented” in both traditional sports and other Esports titles.
However, according to Elias’s father, they initially want an opportunity to talk and reach an agreement with Valve and the court. Their most important goal is not monetary compensation but to have their son’s ban lifted, he emphasized.
There has been no announcement from Valve, and we will continue to update information on this case.