The former CEO of the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA) has filed a wrongful dismissal lawsuit against the company, seeking over $225,000 in compensatory damages.
Robert Lewis-Manning was fired on September 24th after working with the company for around two and a half years, and has since opted to file this lawsuit.
The company says he was fired over what it described as a “secret relationship” with an employee’s wife.
According to the GVHA, Lewis-Manning fundamentally breached his employment contract and fiduciary duties by violating the terms of his employment.
In addition to having this “secret relationship”, GVHA claims the former CEO was dishonest about it to the board of directors, and refused to cooperate with an independent investigation into his conduct.
“This misconduct is irreconcilable with employment at the Harbour Authority,” reads a BC Supreme Court document.
However, Lewis-Manning has alleged that the GVHA has “manufactured false cause,” acted in a manner that was “malicious,” “contemptuous,” “vindictive” and levied “bogus” allegations against him.
The GVHA says that Lewis-Manning’s dismissal came following a complaint to the human resources department from the employee whose wife was involved in a relationship with the former CEO. The employee claimed to have not known of the relationship.
Lewis-Manning’s account of the timeline and relationship differ significantly from the GVHA’s.
Lewis-Manning says that he was informed by the GVHA that he was engaged in an “inappropriate extra-marital affair with the spouse of another GVHA employee.”
He says this claim was false.
Lewis-Manning does however admit to being in a relationship with the ex-spouse of a GVHA employee, who has been separated from her husband since 2019.
Furthermore, he says his relationship with her started in 2023, which was before her ex-spouse was employed by GVHA.
Though the couple are not officially divorced and co-parent together for the benefit of their child, the former CEO claims that they had been living separately for four years before her relationship with him began.
“Out of respect for the family, Mr. Lewis-Manning did not publicize this relationship at work,” reads the court document.
Lewis-Manning has also alleged in his civil claim that the GVHA obtained information regarding this relationship by entering his office, going into his desk and reviewing private and deeply personal documents stored there.
GVHA says that the information was obtained from the employee whose wife was involved.
This included photographs and love letters that were obtained without his knowledge or consent.
When the GVHA confronted him with the information gleaned from his office, he was suspended immediately before his eventual termination.
