LPL giants EDG reportedly suing ex-player Scout over contract dispute

LPL giants EDward Gaming are reportedly taking LoL star Lee ‘Scout’ Ye-chan to court following a contract dispute with the Korean mid laner. The 2021 Worlds Finals MVP is currently playing for LNG Esports.

Details of the lawsuit have been shared on Chinese forums and social media, and show that a hearing is scheduled for Thursday, July 20, at a court in Minhang, a district of Shanghai.

The contract dispute is believed to be tied to Scout’s controversial departure from EDward Gaming in December 2022. After six successful years with EDG, the Korean mid laner moved to LNG Esports, another team in the LPL.

In December, Edward Zhu, EDG’s owner, reportedly revealed that the organization had almost doubled Scout’s salary at the end of 2021 following the team’s title-winning campaign at the World Championship. This came after Scout had allegedly agreed to join an LCK team — believed to be KT Rolster — while still under contract with EDG.

The matter was settled after EDG spoke with Riot, but Scout again expressed a wish to return to Korea at the end of the 2022 season. According to Zhu, EDG gave the player permission to move to the LCK if he could find a team that offered him a better salary.

No such offer materialized, which resulted, Zhu said, in a “really awkward” situation when Scout returned to China.

In the end, the player moved to LPL rival LNG, who were after a mid laner to replace the departing Kim ‘Doinb’ Tae-sang. The team is currently ranked fourth in the LPL Summer standings, with a 10-4 record, and has already guaranteed a spot in the playoff stage, which features the top ten teams of the regular season.

Scout has not yet commented on the matter. The Korean mid laner, who was named the MVP of the Worlds 2021 Finals, notably played for SK Telecom T1 in 2015 and 2016 before moving to China to continue his career.