A Netflix executive is suing the streaming service for wrongful termination after he was fired from his $1.1 million-a-year position following a confession about his use of medically prescribed ketamine during a company retreat. Kevin Baillie, vice president and head of creative at Eyeline Studios, the visual effects and virtual production brand owned by Netflix, alleges in a lawsuit that the company launched an investigation into his disclosure and subsequently terminated his employment.
Baillie attended the retreat in January 2026 at Sendero Ranch, a Netflix-owned property in Northern California. During a session described as a 'Vulnerability-Trust exercise,' Baillie, 48, reportedly revealed that he had taken ketamine in October and November 2022. He stated that the treatment, administered at a Santa Barbara clinic, was prescribed to manage clinical depression following his mother's death. According to the lawsuit, Baillie explained the medical necessity of his ketamine use to his employer but was still subjected to an investigation.
Months after the retreat, in March, a company investigator reportedly raised the incident in a manner that suggested suspicion of recreational drug use. By April, Baillie was fired, with a company attorney confirming that the ketamine therapy issue had been a factor in the termination, the lawsuit claims. Baillie further alleges that he was denied severance pay up to a year in length following his dismissal.
The lawsuit also contends that the investigation into Baillie's conduct extended beyond his ketamine use, examining alleged profanity and alcohol consumption. Baillie asserts that he was not the only employee engaging in such activities. He claims that during a performance review, he was advised to reduce his use of profanity but not to stop entirely. Regarding alcohol, Baillie stated that he drank a Guinness beer while performing a headstand at the same retreat, a trick he learned from his former father-in-law. He performed the trick after a colleague requested a demonstration, in the spirit of the session's encouragement of openness.
Baillie's lawsuit points to a company environment that he believes is conducive to alcohol consumption, citing instances where Eyeline Studios CEO Jeff Shapiro allegedly encouraged drinking. The filing details that Shapiro purchased beer for a group during company outings and maintained a personal bar in his office from which he served alcohol, including to Baillie, even after successful meetings with Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos.
Baillie is seeking a jury trial and has requested lost wages, compensatory damages, punitive damages, and compensation for emotional distress. Netflix and Eyeline Studios have been contacted for comment.