NASSAU-An accountant has lost a lawsuit seeking $122, 394 compensation for breach of contract and wrongful dismissal.
The College of the Bahamas fired Patrick Anthony Hanlan as its director of accounting for incompetence in 2015.
In a May 28 ruling, Supreme Court Indra Charles said, “It is plain that the defendant was justified in summarily dismissing the plaintiff. It is also plain that the plaintiff was provided with 90 days’ pay in lieu of notice.”
Hanlan operated his own accounting firm from 2005 to 2013 before he accepted a three-year contract with the college on January 15, 2014.
Hanlan began work on February 1, 2014 and was responsible for overseeing the accounts receivable department. This primarily involved the collection of tuition and fees.
However, Hanlan’s supervisor viewed his performance as substandard.
He received a 1.8 out of 5 on a performance appraisal in April 2015.
Hanlan did not respond to the performance review by May 4.
As a result, the college gave him the option to resign.
The college terminated Hanlan after he didn’t resign, the court heard.
Justice Charles said, “He knew that his performance was unsatisfactory. Instead of seeking to remedy the deficiencies in his work, the plaintiff adopted the attitude that his performance was beyond reproach.”
Charles said the option to resign was extended as a courtesy.
The ruling said, “This option was provided to the plaintiff as a courtesy to enable him to leave the position with dignity in a manner, which may lessen the impact on his future career prospects.”
