The lawyer for Paul Robillard, co-founder of Hard Hat Hunter and the target of a sexual abuse civil suit, says Robillard will remain on the job in his present position.
See: Canadore College partner subject of sexual harassment claim in Superior Court lawsuit
Geoff Jeffery, in an email to BayToday, refers to the lawsuit that a former employee of Hard Hat Hunter has commenced against Robillard and against his employer, Hard Hat Hunter.
"These allegations were investigated by a third-party investigator at the time and, for the most part, were found to be unsubstantiated," says Jeffery of the Sudbury law firm of Weaver Simmons LLP.
"However, the investigator found that some communications to the employee by Mr. Robillard were inappropriate. As a result of the investigator’s report, Hard Hat Hunter imposed appropriate and proportionate discipline on Mr. Robillard. However, the investigator acknowledged that Mr. Robillard was committed to conducting himself appropriately in the future and to building a safe and appropriate workplace.
"Accordingly, Mr. Robillard will remain in his role with Hard Hat Hunter.
"The employee chose not to return to work with Hard Hat Hunter after the investigation was complete. The employee’s employment came to an end when the federal government funding for her position was cancelled. The parties are engaged in settlement discussions with the assistance of legal counsel and are hopeful that a resolution of the claim will be achieved soon," added Jeffery.
The claim alleges sexual harassment and wrongful termination of Logan Jones, a former employee of Hard Hat Hunter.
She was referred to Hard Hat by Canadore, which has supplied other students for employment at Hard Hat Hunter through the Canadore College Centre for Career Development.
It names that company, plus co-founder Paul Robillard and First North Enterprise, a First Nations owned and operated company that shares operations and employees with Hard Hat.
Jones, a young woman and recent graduate of Canadore, is seeking $100,000 plus unspecified special damages to be worked out.
