IIRC Archie didnt have him sign a contract. They were honestly really inept.
As the person who was studying each filing made in the case as it dragged on and the person who broke the news of what was going on with the key component in dispute--that being the contract--I feel the need to clarify this a tad.
Officially, we don't know if Penders ever signed a contract with Archie. We just know that when Archie filed the complaint (remember Archie was the plaintiff, not Penders), and it came time for Archie to prove he did, they could not produce the original contract.
That's why Archie lost their case. That's probably why the license went over to IDW. Penders was put in a position to say "prove it" and Archie could not.
This, on top of all the other stigmas attached to coming forward with a claim of sexual assault, is
probably why no one who's made an accusation against Vic has actively pursued criminal justice or a civil suit. If you put Vic in a position to say "prove it," it's possible the accusations, even with some evidence behind them, may not be at the legal standard of what's considered sexual assault or sexual harassment.
And that's what I think makes Vic flinching first intriguing. If I had to guess, he wants to see what, if any, kind of investigation Funi conducted, and he might be on to something there. Corporations have a tough time keeping track of even recent records.
I would anticipate signed affidavits from all named defendants if this isn't thrown out of court. They will need to be quite thorough. I think this gets very nasty and very winnable for Vic if he can make it to discovery, if what I suspect he is (isn't?) looking for pans out. I also think those chances shift dramatically if Funi can get this to a jury trial. It's probably worth it for Funi to see this through--even if, theoretically, their investigation is revealed to be a sham.
