Leffen seeking legal advice after wild accusations from Smash pro Hax$

Luke Edwards
Leffen talking directly to the camera.

TSM FTX Smash Melee pro William ‘Leffen’ Hjelte is seeking legal advice after fellow pro Aziz ‘Hax$’ Al-Yami accused him of creating a “totalitarian regime” in the Smash community in a two-and-a-half-hour YouTube video.

As one of the biggest figures in the Smash community, Leffen has never been far from the limelight. However, a recent document and video published by fellow pro player Hax$ was an unexpected turn of events.

On June 5, Hax$ published a 136-page Google document, along with a 2.5 hour YouTube video listing a series of “charges” against Leffen, accusing him of being a “psychopath” determined to create a “totalitarian regime” within the Smash community.

There was a total of nine charges leveled against Leffen, including allegations that he “hijacked” the #MeToo movement for his own personal gain, used “blackmail and propaganda” to “smear” Smash rival Juan ‘Hungrybox’ DeBiedma, and “maliciously instructed” players to change the layout of their game controllers.

Less than an hour after the video was published, Leffen posted his dumbfounded response to the allegations of manipulating the Smash community for his own gain, and revealed he feared for his wellbeing.

“At this point I don’t even know what to do,” he said. “Legit concerned with my safety at events with this level of things.”

Leffen concluded by saying that he will be soliciting legal advice in light of the allegations. “Will be looking into a lawyer before saying more just to make sure my bases are covered,” he added.

Other charges against Leffen by Hax$ include accusations of using the Smash #MeToo movement to “take down” ex-Tempo Storm pro Gonzalo ‘ZeRo’ Barrios, who in July 2020 confessed to inappropriately messaging underage girls, and therefore “ascend socioeconomically” as a result of his downfall.

Leffen is due to host Smash tournament LEVO 18 on July 5-6, and it remains to be seen whether the allegations could impact his presence at this event and events to come.

About The Author

Luke is a former Dexerto writer based in Oxford, who has a BA in English Literature from the University of Warwick. He now works with Dexerto's video department. You can contact Luke at luke.edwards@dexerto.com