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Former coach sues West Kelowna Warriors owner

Geoff Grimwood was fired by the BCHL club in January
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West Kelowna Warriors owner Kin Dobranski (left) had reinstated head coach and general manager Geoff Grimwood in September. Grimwood was fired again in January. (Alistair Waters - Capital News)

The former bench boss of the West Kelowna Warriors is taking the team’s owner to court.

Geoff Grimwood filed a notice of claim in Kelowna Provincial Court claiming that Warriors owner Kim Dobranski didn’t uphold to their contract agreement when Grimwood was fired.

In the court files, Grimwood seeks $29,166.14 plus interest for the breach in the contract, totalling $30,021.98.

Grimwood claims he was fired so Warriors ownership could “avoid the real possibility of having to increase (Grimwood’s) compensation under the terms of the contract.”

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Grimwood was fired by Dobranski at the end of January 2019 before the Warriors started their playoff push. In the original contract, the BCHL would need to consent to Grimwood’s termination, something the former coach claims the Warriors did not receive.

The terms of the contract also stated that if Grimwood was fired before the completion of the contract, he would be entitled to the rest of the BCHL minimum standard of $50,000.

“The (Warriors) explicitly impugned (Grimwood’s) honesty, ability and trustworthiness at the time of termination with any or adequate justification for doing so and with wanton or reckless disregard for (Grimwood’s) professional reputation,” the court files from June 24 say.

This was the second time Grimwood was fired by the Warriors. Grimwood was fired and then quickly reinstated to the team in September when Dobranski first took over ownership of the Warriors.

READ MORE: West Kelowna Warriors owner reinstates fired head coach

None of the claims have been proven in court and the Warriors have not yet responded to the claim.

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