FILE PHOTO

Image Credit: SUBMITTED / City of Penticton

The former mayor of Penticton is launching another lawsuit against a family business.

John Vassilaki claims he was wrongfully fired from Vassilaki and Sons Investments Ltd, which operates as a liquor store, according to a recently filed lawsuit.

He claims he was an employee since the company was founded in 2004, but he was fired without cause on Oct. 3. Vassilaki was paid a base salary of $7,000 per month for his "specialized" role at Last Call Liquor Mart, he said in his claim.

It's one of a few ongoing civil disputes between the former mayor and his siblings as they feud over business dealings.

Another claim filed in August names Vassilaki and his wife as defendants. Another family business, J.N.A. Investments, claims he and his wife were each overpaid by more than $130,000 and it seeks to recover that money.

Vassilaki responded in court and denied wrongdoing.

There are a total of four ongoing civil claims between Vassilaki and his siblings, along with different family businesses.

Earlier this year, the BC Supreme Court ruled against him and his son as they argued they were wrongfully left out as directors in two family businesses. Justice Briana Hardwick said she was given such a small amount of evidence in the case that she didn't even know what the companies did, going on to say Vassilaki's evidence left an "informational vacuum."

Hardwick said Vassilaki's case was "doomed to fail." He and his son were ordered to pay an undisclosed amount of special costs to other family members as the case was dismissed.

Vassilaki lost another recent civil case when he was ordered to pay $14,000 to his brother for battery. Vassilaki had pushed his brother and grabbed him by the neck in a dispute over family jewelry and gold coins.

That civil claim was resolved in August, while others remain outstanding.

None of the claims in the two new files have been proven in court.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here.

News from © iNFOnews, 2023