A years-long legal fight for control of an exclusive Elgin County country club is unfolding, after an appeal court paved the way for the business to take its longtime manager to court.
Redtail Golf Club president and general manager Chris Goodwin lost an appeal of a court ruling that granted one-time silent partner John Drake, acting on behalf of the company, permission to start legal action against him and Privit, a London-based health information company of which Goodwin is a shareholder and director.
Goodwin argued Justice Kelly Gorman, in her February 2018 decision to grant Drake leave, misapplied the test of whether the action was in the best interest of Redtail, an elite private golf course north of Port Stanley.
The appeal of the decision giving Drake clearance to commence action against Goodwin on behalf of Redtail was denied earlier this month by a panel of three Superior Court of Justice divisional court justices.
While the 12-page decision confirms Drake can continue with the lawsuit, the court document wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement of the allegations against his business partner, Goodwin’s lawyer Angelo D’Ascanio said in an email.
“The appeal court also made comments questioning some of the merits of the claims and found the total amount of these alleged claims to be relatively modest in relation to the value of Redtail,” D’Ascanio said.
In a statement of claim filed on behalf of Redtail in April 2018, Drake alleged Goodwin, while managing the golf club, overpaid management fees to Privit and made unauthorized payments to Goodwin’s wife totalling $80,600.
In Justice Gorman’s decision, Goodwin said the payments to his wife were for reimbursement of expenses for materials and compensation for services his wife had performed at Redtail, including gardening and interior decoration. The sum included $15,900 for fees and services charged by Goodwin’s wife.
Drake said he had not authorized or approved the payments.
None of the allegations against Goodwin have been tested in court.
