Former Northland Chrysler Jeep Dodge principal Brent Marshall is suing his ex-employers, alleging they failed to properly act on his behalf in a conflict with the B.C. Motor Vehicle Sales Authority.
In a notice of claim, filed Monday in B.C. Supreme Court in Prince George on Monday, Marshall said the lawyer who took on the matter represented both him and Northland.
Marshall had told a superior he wanted to retain his own lawyer but was told not to because doing so "would only confuse things" and complied with the request.
After the MVSA found both Northland and Marshall had engaged in deceptive practices, Marshall obtained his own lawyer for the penalty phase of the hearing. He was eventually fined $3,500 and Northland was fined $44,000.
The MVSA's finding and penalty was related to the sale of four used vehicles advertised in a flyer distributed to communities outside of Prince George in June 2013.
Marshall is seeking damages for alleged breach of his employment agreement with Northland and for alleged breach of fiduciary duty by three AutoCanada Inc. executives and the law firm and lawyer involved in the matter. AutoCanada owns Northland.
The claim also sets out a web of allegations involving MVSA inspectors Marshall said were seeking to become compliance officers at Northland and at an AutoCanada dealership in Victoria while the two were under investigation.
Marshall claimed that because of the way the situations were handled, his ability to enter into voluntary undertakings to resolve the matter prior to a hearing were undermined.
None of the allegations have been tested in court and the defendants have not yet filed responses.
