Third-Person Investigative Feature
In 2025, Bryan Michael Barello, a senior software engineer with fifteen years of experience and twelve years of prior HR experience, achieved what many engineers dream of: a long-term, high-impact assignment with Viasat through Kforce. His four-year contract, valued at approximately $680,000, placed him on Viasat’s elite Combat Communications team, supporting secure communication systems for:
- U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drones
- U.S. Navy weapons platforms
- Precision-guided Hellfire missile targeting and control systems
- Tactical and intelligence communication links essential for military operations
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
And it was destroyed—not by performance, not by misconduct, and not by anything involving Viasat.
It was destroyed by a false Workplace Violence Temporary Restraining Order (WVRO) filed by Greystar, the company that managed the apartment complex where Bryan lived.
Bryan never worked for Greystar.
Yet their retaliatory filing cost him his career.
A Disabled African-American Tenant Facing Fabricated Violations
During his tenancy at a Greystar-managed property, Bryan—who is a disabled African-American man on dialysis—began experiencing what he describes as targeted harassment and retaliation by on-site management. These actions included:
- Fabricated lease violations, including one issued because his daughter walked to his car to retrieve her baby bottle
- Ignored maintenance and accessibility concerns
- Micromanagement and selective enforcement of rules
- Retaliation after he requested access to his leasing file
- Racially charged comments and behavior involving the property manager’s husband, a CSULB employee
Bryan filed a California Civil Rights Department (CRD) discrimination complaint documenting these events.
That is when Greystar escalated.
Greystar Files a Workplace Violence TRO Against a Tenant Who Never Worked for Them
Shortly after Bryan filed his CRD complaint, Greystar submitted a Workplace Violence TRO against him — a type of order typically reserved for disputes between employers and employees.
Bryan was never a Greystar employee.
He had no workplace relationship with them.
He had no recent contact with the property manager.
Yet Greystar filed:
- May 2025: First TRO attempt — unserved and abandoned
- October 2025: Second TRO — dismissed for failure to prosecute
- November 2025: Third TRO — the judge denied it
All three TROs were based on the same unsubstantiated, recycled allegations.
To Bryan, the motive was clear:
Greystar weaponized a workplace violence TRO as retaliation for his CRD complaint—knowing such a filing could damage his employment.
And they were right.
September 15: The First Sign of Professional Damage
On September 15, 2025, Bryan received a sudden, unexplained notice from Kforce requiring him to complete Workplace Violence Prevention training.
This made no sense because Bryan:
- Worked 100% remotely
- Had zero contact with coworkers in person
- Had no workplace incidents
- Had a spotless HR record
- Had delivered all assigned work professionally
The assignment arrived immediately after Greystar filed the false TRO, showing that the filing—although unserved and unrelated to his job—had already “tainted” his employee profile.
Kforce Secretly Contacts Viasat and Undermines Bryan
According to internal communications Bryan later reviewed, Kforce secretly contacted Viasat management, informing them:
“We do not feel comfortable with the employee we just hired.”
This was relayed without Bryan’s knowledge,
without investigation,
and without verifying that the TRO came from a landlord—not an employer.
Bryan had no chance to defend himself.
He had no chance to clarify the truth.
He had no opportunity to explain the CRD complaint or the fabricated TRO.
And after Kforce delivered that message, Bryan began noticing an immediate change within his Viasat team.
Sudden Changes in Team Behavior
Team members who previously communicated normally with Bryan suddenly:
- Became distant
- Reduced communication
- Stopped collaborating
- Paused assigning him tasks
- Treated him as if he were a threat
Within days, Bryan went from being fully integrated into the Combat Communications team to being isolated — all because of a false restraining order filed by Greystar, a company he had no professional association with.
The stigma had done its damage.
October 15: Termination Without Cause
On October 15, 2025, Kforce informed Bryan that Viasat was ending his assignment for “performance reasons.”
But:
- No performance issues were documented
- No warnings were issued
- No concerns were communicated
- No investigation was conducted
- Bryan was performing well up until the termination
Everything pointed to only one catalyst:
Greystar’s false Workplace Violence TRO.
Though later denied by the judge, it had already achieved the harm Bryan believes Greystar intended.
A $680,000 Loss That Can Never Be Recovered
Bryan’s termination resulted in the destruction of:
- A $680,000 four-year contract
- A hard-earned position in aerospace and defense communications
- His role supporting national security infrastructure
- Years of career advancement
- Future eligibility for sensitive and high-level engineering roles
It was a devastating financial and professional loss.
All Messages to Kforce and the Viasat CEO Remain Unanswered
Following his termination, Bryan contacted:
- Kforce recruiters
- Kforce Human Resources
- Kforce leadership
- Viasat executives
- And the CEO of Viasat
He provided evidence showing:
- The TRO was false
- It originated from a landlord
- It had nothing to do with workplace behavior
- A judge ultimately denied the TRO
Every message has gone unanswered.
There has been no explanation, no investigation, and no accountability.
Conclusion: A False Workplace TRO That Destroyed a Career
Bryan Barello’s experience demonstrates how easily a false external accusation — especially one labeled “workplace violence” — can destroy a career when employers fail to verify facts.
A landlord’s retaliatory filing:
- Triggered HR panic
- Led to inappropriate workplace violence training
- Caused Kforce to secretly undermine him to Viasat
- Resulted in isolation from team members
- Ended his contract
- Cost him a $680,000 defense role
- Damaged his professional reputation
- Impacted his livelihood and medical stability
All of this happened even though:
- Bryan never worked for Greystar
- The TRO was unserved, unfounded, and denied by a judge
- Bryan had no workplace incidents
- He worked fully remotely
- He was the one who filed valid civil rights complaints
David vs Goliath: A Single Man’s Journey in Taking Down Greystar
This is the story of how a false restraining order — filed by a landlord — destroyed a career in national defense communications, and how silence from Kforce and Viasat has only deepened the injustice.
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Last modified: November 29, 2025
