$9.7M wrongful dismissal trial for fired Northlands parking cashiers underway
CBC
A wrongful dismissal and defamation trial between Northlands and a group of former employees has gotten off to a slow start due to delays, adjournments and repeated warnings by the judge.
Nineteen former parking services cashiers are suing Northlands for $9.7 million over their October 2015 firing.
Northlands fired 38 cashiers en masse after it alleged two audits found it was losing $1 million a year to cashier skimming. It announced the decision to thousands of employees and volunteers, and the then-president and CEO Tim Reid publicly accused the full group of theft.
The cashiers were not named individually, and Northlands' defence lawyer David Risling says his client's position is that there was no defamation or harm caused.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
The trial began Monday, but was adjourned after only an hour.
When it resumed Tuesday, the cashier group's lawyer Glenda Pidde made a wide-ranging opening statement that included accusations that Northlands had destroyed evidence, and that the organization lied to its employees and the public about what happened.
"This is the worst abuse of power I have ever witnessed," she said.
Pidde also accused Risling of trying to abuse and "take down" both her and her clients.
Court of Queen's Bench Justice Tom Rothwell repeatedly cautioned Pidde about personal attacks on opposing counsel.
Her accusations against Risling continued during one of the day's adjournments.
Waiting for the judge to enter the courtroom at the end of the lunch break, Pidde accused the Northlands lawyer of lying to her, and then apologized.
"Sorry about the temper tantrum, don't tell the judge," she said.
During court, Pidde also spoke repeatedly about her own level of fatigue, calling herself "haggard."
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