Ousted top executive, administrator file lawsuits against London hospital

Article content

Two former London Health Sciences staffers, including a top executive, are seeking a combined $1.88-million in damages from the hospital in separate wrongful termination lawsuits, litigation LHSC is vowing to defend against.

Brad Campbell, LHSC’s former corporate hospital administration executive, and Crystal Curry, an administrator reporting directly to LHSC’s president, have each filed statements of claim in London court seeking damages for the alleged abrupt termination of their employment.

Article content

Campbell is seeking approximately $1.5-million in damages for breach of his employment contract, a total that includes the loss of his salary, bonuses, car allowance and health care spending account, according to a five-page statement of claim filed in London court Oct. 7.

He is also seeking damages for the loss of his health and dental benefits and pension contributions and a declaration from LHSC that he was wrongfully terminated.

Curry, whose statement of claim was filed in London court Oct. 3, is seeking approximately $285,000 in payment in lieu of notice, a total that represents 24 months of her annual base salary.

Curry, represented by Toronto firm Cavalluzzo LLP, is also seeking damages for the loss of her life insurance, health and dental benefits and pension contributions and $50,000 allegedly promised to her by LHSC to help cover university tuition costs.

Campbell, represented by Toronto employment law firm Singh Lamarche LLP, entered a five-year contract position with LHSC in July 2022 that was set to end June 30, 2027, his statement of claim alleges. He was terminated on Aug. 7 without cause, the lawsuit alleges.

Article content

Article content

Campbell’s statement of claim contends that the termination clause in his employment contract with LHSC is unenforceable because it does not comply with the minimum standards set out in Ontario’s Employment Standards Act.

The statement of claim contends that Campbell, who had worked 109 weeks of his five-year agreement, is entitled to 151 weeks of pay to account for the balance of the contract.

The details of any severance or other payment provided to Campbell upon his termination, if any, were not outlined in the statement of claim. Campbell oversaw the presidents of the Children’s Hospital and University and Victoria hospitals in his role.

Statements of claim, and statements of defence filed in response, contain allegations that have not been tested in court.

Curry, who had worked her way up to a senior administrator role after 21 years at LHSC, was terminated due to restructuring on Sept. 3, her statement of claim alleges.

The termination letter stipulated Curry would receive various payments, benefits, and other amounts and, in exchange for signing a release, she would receive a severance package, the lawsuit contends.

Article content

Curry did not accept the offer in LHSC’s termination letter, the lawsuit alleges. The exact details of the severance package or payments were not disclosed in Curry’s statement of claim.

The statement of claim also alleges that in March, Curry inked a deal with LHSC that the hospital would contribute up to $50,000 to help her attain an undergraduate degree. A university degree was necessary for her to be appointed to the role of senior manager instead of administrator, the statement of claim alleges.

As part of the agreement, Curry would report her progress to LHSC and work for the hospital for at least three years post-graduation, the statement of claim contends.

LHSC has filed a statement of intent to defend in the Curry lawsuit.

Both Campbell and Curry’s departures from LHSC came months into a change in leadership at the hospital that installed Windsor Regional Hospital president David Musyj as LHSC’s interim chief executive.

Musyj arrived at LHSC with a cost-cutting mandate, as the hospital works to address an anticipated $150-million deficit by next spring, up from $78.1 million in its 2023-24 budget year.

Article content

Just weeks ago, Musyj was appointed as the supervisor of LHSC by Queen’s Park over the hospital’s “concerning financial performance.” Reporting directly to Ontario’s Ministry of Health, a report on Musyj’s findings and restructuring actions will be released publicly when his term as supervisor is up.

LHSC declined to comment on the specifics of the two lawsuits since they relate to human resources and ongoing legal proceedings.

“We will defend these lawsuits and any others in normal course,” Musyj said in an emailed statement, adding that recent executive restructuring decisions at LHSC “were made after careful consideration.”

“These actions align the LHSC administrative team with other healthcare organizations across Ontario and were necessary to optimize the efficiency of our administrative team and focus resources on front line care,” Musyj said.

“Our primary focus remains on the best interests of the patients we serve, LHSC as a whole and the responsible use of taxpayer funds.”

jbieman@postmedia.com
@JenatLFPress

Article content