Think Twice Before You Sue

Jian Ghomeshi is just one example of an employee who regrets taking action against his employer.

A recent case in BC involved a project manager who was terminated without just cause. He sued his employer wanting more severance pay than he was offered.

When he returned his cell phone after the termination, the employer discovered that the former employee had texted a subordinate asking him to illicitly procure drugs for him. Even though this wasn’t known by the employer until after the termination, it was sufficient to justify cause for dismissal.

The result:

1.  The Employee is out of pocket whatever he paid his lawyer:
2.  He had to pay his Employer’s costs of $11,000.
3.  He “lost” whatever severance his Employer offered him.
4.  It is now public record that he uses illicit drugs and involves subordinates in their purchase. That has to be career limiting!

The case can be found at: Van den Boogaard v. Vancouver Pile Driving

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