A Netflix executive who earned $1.1 million a year was fired after disclosing during a workplace “trust exercise” that he had used medically prescribed ketamine, according to a lawsuit.
Kevin Baillie, formerly vice president and head of creative at Eyeline Studios, claims the company opened an investigation into his remarks at the retreat and that the inquiry ultimately led to his termination.
Baillie, whose visual effects credits include work on the “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Harry Potter” franchises, says he received the ketamine treatment under medical supervision in October and November 2022 at a clinic in Santa Barbara.
The lawsuit says he pursued the treatment for clinical depression following the death of his mother.
At a January 2026 retreat held at Sendero Ranch, an exclusive Northern California property owned by Netflix, Baillie participated in what was described as a “Vulnerability-Trust exercise” and told colleagues about the treatment, the suit alleges.
Baillie says he made clear why he had taken ketamine, but Netflix nevertheless investigated him. On March 18, 2026, a company investigator raised the matter “in a manner suggesting suspicion of recreational drug use,” according to the complaint.
He was fired in April, and the lawsuit says a company attorney later confirmed that “the ketamine therapy issue has factored into the termination.” The filing also alleges Baillie was denied as much as a year of severance pay.
Baillie further claims the investigation also covered alleged profanity and drinking. In a performance review, he says he had previously been told to “drop one or two less f-bombs but don’t stop entirely.”
It goes on to say that at the same retreat Baillie drank a Guinness standing on his head, after sharing that he had learned the trick from his former father in law during a conversation inspired by the trust session.
“His colleague immediately asked for a demonstration, rather than withhold the openness that the session had encouraged, he performed the trick,” the papers say.
Baille also paints a picture of an allegedly alcohol-fueled company environment encouraged by the Eyeline Studios CEO Jeff Shapiro.
During two company outings “Shapiro purchased beer at a corner store and brought it into the vehicle for the group to share,” the suit says.
In addition to hosting multiple parties, Shapiro also had a personal bar in his office “from which he served alcohol (to Baille) including after a successful meeting with Netflix’s CEO Ted Sanandos,” according to the papers.
Baillie is asking for a jury trail, compensatory damages, lost wages, damages for emotional distress, and punitive damages.
Netflix and Eyeline were contacted for comment.
