Did you know that Pokémon Co. has an official program that will name you a Pokémon Professor? According to Pokémon Co., officially-recognized Pokémon Professors offer their time at Play! Pokémon events around the world, working as assistants, judges, and ambassadors for the Play! Pokémon program. As with any program, not everyone who signs up will make the cut, and that’s not sitting very well with one would-be professor.
34-year-old Kyle Owens took the Pokémon Professor exam and scored a perfect 100%, which you’d think would make him a shoe-in for the gig. Unfortunately for Owens there was also a background check, and it seems that’s where things fell apart. This background check apparently led to Owens being excluded from the program, and to say he’s not taking it in stride would be quite the understatement.
Owens is now suing Pokémon Co. and Nintendo for a whopping $341k, saying he’s been denied the Pokémon Professor position due to an “old, low-level felony that was more than 10 years old.” This was a pending arrest warrant “for failing to appear in court on misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct by engaging in fighting; possessing, repairing or selling an offensive weapon; and criminal mischief through damage to property.”
Pokémon Co. did confirm that Owens’ application was “denied after reviewing the results” of his background check,” and Owens is pushing back by saying that his charges “do not show guilty findings.” Thus, Owens has filed a lawsuit in order to get compensation for what he feels is unfair treatment. It’s pretty unlikely Owens will come out on top in this lawsuit, but we’ll certainly keep track of where things go from here!
