Plaintiff claims employer’s announcement of leadership change causes ‘lasting reputational harm’
The former president and vice-chancellor of the University of Winnipeg is suing the institution over his removal from the role, alleging the university breached his employment contract, mishandled the termination process and harmed his professional reputation.
Todd Mondor’s statement of claim – filed with the Manitoba Court of King’s Bench on Jan. 30 – alleges that the university ended his employment “in a manner that was misleading, callous, humiliating, and in breach of its duty of good faith,” according to reporting from CBC.
None of the allegations have been tested in court, and the university has not yet filed a statement of defence.
Fixed-term appointment cut short
Mondor was appointed president and vice-chancellor on April 1, 2022, under a fixed-term agreement that was scheduled to run until June 30, 2027, “unless terminated earlier” in accordance with specified provisions of the contract, according to the court filing cited by CBC.
As part of the arrangement, he was also granted tenure as a professor in the psychology department, according to the report.
The claim states that Mondor “faithfully and diligently performed his duties” in the leadership role and consistently indicated he wished to pursue a renewal of his term. He says he had no indication that his continued appointment was at risk prior to his dismissal.
According to the statement of claim, the events culminated on Nov. 24 following a meeting of the university’s board of regents, CBC reported. Mondor says that immediately after that meeting, board chair Michelle Pereira delivered a letter informing him that his employment was being terminated without cause, effective immediately.
The letter, the claim says, referenced a lump-sum payment of more than $50,000 and set out several severance options. The options varied depending on whether Mondor chose to remain on staff as a tenured professor. The contract itself permitted the university to end his employment without notice and without cause, provided that compensation was paid in accordance with the agreement, the filing asserts.
Dispute over severance conditions
CBC reported that Mondor’s statement of claim alleges that the initial severance proposal was conditional on his signing a release, indemnity and confidentiality agreement, which he says was inconsistent with the terms of his employment contract. The university later agreed to remove that requirement, according to the filing.
However, Mondor alleges the institution then attempted to attach further conditions to the severance, including his resignation from committees linked to the university and the provision of the passcode for a mobile phone he had returned to the institution. These additional conditions were also eventually withdrawn, the claim says.
Mondor contends that these shifting requirements amounted to a failure to follow the clear severance and termination provisions in his contract.
Previously, the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta dealt with a constructive dismissal case from a worker who said the appointment of a new supervisor led to his forced resignation.
A key element of the lawsuit against the University of Winnipeg concerns when the severance funds were actually paid. The statement of claim says Mondor formally accepted the severance offer on Dec. 20 and that, under the terms presented to him, the payment was to be made within 30 calendar days, according to CBC.
The filing noted that the university did not issue the payment until Jan. 30, the same day the lawsuit was commenced, according to the report. Mondor argues this delay breached the agreed-upon conditions for termination and is part of a broader pattern of the university failing to honour its contractual obligations.
Allegations of humiliation and emotional distress
Beyond contractual issues, Mondor alleges that the manner of his departure caused significant personal harm. The statement of claim asserts that the university “intentionally or negligently inflicted emotional and/or mental distress” through several actions, including having security guards escort him from the building following his termination, CBC reported.
The claim also cites the university’s attempts to impose extra conditions on his severance and the delayed payment as contributing to his alleged distress. Taken together, Mondor says, these actions were “recklessly and with callous and wanton isregard for the interests and well-being of the plaintiff.”
The lawsuit further challenges how the university communicated Mondor’s departure to the public and the media. The claim states that the university’s news release and later media statements were misleading because they could lead third parties to conclude that he had been removed for misconduct.
In the Nov. 25 news release announcing the leadership change, the board stated: “The board feels that as we move to implement our recently announced strategic plan, it is in the best interest of the university and the broader community to refocus our leadership.” Mondor argues that this phrasing risks causing “lasting reputational harm” and could make it more difficult for him to secure a comparable leadership position at another institution.
The University of Winnipeg has not yet responded in court and has declined to discuss the case publicly. “As this matter is before the court, we will not be providing a comment,” university spokesperson Caleb Zimmerman said, according to the CBC report.
The allegations contained in the statement of claim remain unproven.
In the same announcement of leadership change, the University of Winnipeg noted: “Guided by our mission of excellence in post-secondary education, we will also begin to contemplate a fulsome search for our next President and Vice-Chancellor.
“The Board of Regents remains committed to the value of community engagement in that process: cultivating respectful, reciprocal, and mutually beneficial relationships within and beyond the University. To do so, we will ensure we contemplate collaboration and engagement with stakeholders, students, faculty, staff, and the broader community. Our next leader will represent a new chapter at the University, and we will take the time to do so with the support and input of our community.”
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