University of Manitoba sues its former law dean for nearly $700K over allegations of fraudulent spending

The University of Manitoba is suing a former law dean who was disbarred by the province's law society after he was found to have misspent over a half a million dollars on professional development courses in the U.S., members-only clubs and personal expenses.

The university fired Jonathan Black-Branch in July 2020 after receiving a complaint in connection withhis financial activities, which led to a five-month investigation.

As a faculty member and the chair and director of the Marcel A. Desautels Centre for Private Enterprise and the Law at U of M, the lawsuit alleges Black-Branch had access to various university funds,including operating funds, endowment funds and the Desautels fund.

The lawsuit, filed in Manitoba's Court of King's Bench last week, said Black-Branch breached the terms of his employment agreement and "knowingly pursued a course of fraudulent, reckless, deliberate, and high-handed conduct."

The university which is being represented by lawyers Jeff Hirsch and Miranda Grayson at Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP is seeking damages of $660,944.60, in addition to the interest on any accounts.

The Law Society of Manitoba disbarred Black-Branch in February.

The lawsuit says the defendant "had the power and control to impact the interests of the university and was entrusted to make appropriate financial expenditures."

From December 2017 to July 2019, Black-Branch used $518,722.35 of university funds to pay for professional development courses at a business school in Spain as wellas Harvard University, Northwest Executive Education and the University of Cambridge Judge Business School, the lawsuit says.

Black-Branch submitted "double claims" to be reimbursed for travel, meal and accommodation expenses for the professional development courses, which were already included in the registration fees, the suit alleges.

He spent more than $17,000 on joining members-only clubs, in addition to more than $21,000 on 201 meals at the Manitoba Club, where he falsified the names of people he claimed to have dined with and provided an inaccurate rationale for the purpose of the meals, the lawsuit says.

The statement of claim also alleges Black-Branch used more than $20,000 to pay for his personal expenses which included a donation to Yale University for a class gift and covering the cost of his internet, TV and phone bills at his residence in Oxford, England.

He also charged $75,000 of university funds to the Foundation of International Society of Law and Nuclear Disarmament better known as ISLAND which is a corporation in both Switzerland and Canada that he runs, the lawsuit says.

Black-Branch breached the university's policy by failing to disclose costs to the provost and vice-president to approve specific payments, and by ordering his subordinates to approve other costs, the lawsuit alleges.

Multiple previous attempts by CBC to contact Black-Branch have been unsuccessful.

None of the allegations have been proven in court.