A new lawsuit against the Senators and team Owner Eugene Melnyk alleges that amid poor ticket sales in '16, Melnyk "lashed out at his management team, leading to tumult and discord behind the scenes," according to Wayne Scanlan of the OTTAWA CITIZEN. Former Senators exec Peter O'Leary "recently filed" a C$1.55M lawsuit against the Senators and its owner, alleging his termination was "in breach of his contract." O'Leary's 23-page claim "provides a rare glimpse inside the Senators' front office dynamics, revealing not only dysfunction but also alleged abusive behavior by Melnyk." The claim alleges Melnyk "at times used profanity and levelled insults at executive team members, including constantly calling into question their competency." Melnyk also sent "abusive emails to the executive team and frequently threatened to dismiss them." Melnyk in an email wrote, "We believe it is inappropriate to comment on litigation before the courts." O'Leary claims it was "difficult retaining and attracting staff" when the Senators "reduced net pay and was late on bonus pay." He alleges the Senators made "all departments reduce spending" by 10%, which "led to personnel reductions, including janitors." As a result, "professional staff were required to clean offices and clean garbage bins" (OTTAWA CITIZEN, 3/31).
