Ex-Romero broker tells court of 'disappearing emails'

A Romero branch manager confided in a colleague that he feared for his job because of emails disappearing and vanishing appointments, the High Court heard yesterday.

Halifax office boss Andrew Templeton asked account handler Linda Whiteley for help with his computer because emails and appointments had vanished from it, the court heard.

Whiteley said: “Because of the emails disappearing and appointments not being there, he thought he was getting the push.”

Romero managing director Simon Mabb visited the Halifax office on 28 September last year, and told Templeton that his role was at risk of redundancy.

The details of Templeton’s controversial departure from Romero to rival firm Eastwood & Partners were revealed in the Queen’s Bench Division yesterday, on the second day of an expected three-day trial.

Romero is suing Templeton for breaching covenants against contacting its clients; telling clients he had been made redundant when he was only at risk of redundancy and therefore harming Romero’s reputation by suggesting he had been dismissed without warning.

Romero is also suing Templeton’s current place of employment, rival broking firm Eastwood & Partners. The writ said it was “reasonable to infer” that Templeton had been contacting clients while at Romero to benefit Eastwood & Partners.

According to the writ, Romero claims that Templeton’s departure to Eastwood & Partners made it lose 31 clients and up to £40,000 in commission.

Templeton’s ‘misinformation’ with recruitment agents

Testifying yesterday, Mabb claimed that Templeton had told recruitment agents he was being made redundant.

He said: “The world and his wife had been told by recruitment agents that he was being made redundant. It was spreading like wildfire through our competitors.

“Mr Templeton gave misinformation to a recruitment agency. We were only just starting a risk of redundancy notice and it was an internal matter.”

It emerged yesterday that Templeton is claiming constructive dismissal against Romero.

The court heard that, on 8 October 2012, Templeton’s solicitor wrote to Romero with a claim of constructive dismissal. The solicitor claimed that the “purported consultation was a sham”.

Mabb claimed that the constructive dismissal case was “concocted to enable Mr Templeton to get out of his restrictive covenants.”

Templeton left Romero on 8 October 2012 to join Eastwood & Partners, according to papers filed at the High Court. Templeton departed shortly after Mabb had turned down an offer from Eastwood for its Halifax business.