A two-year legal saga between the Cherry Brook Zoo and its former director appears to be over.
Leonard Collrin sued for wrongful dismissal after he and his wife Lynda were asked to leave in July 2016.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the zoo’s board of trustees said Collrin filed a notification of discontinuance with the courts this week.
The statement also said no money was paid out by the board to “secure the discontinuance”.
Chair Heather Crawford told our newsroom they are pleased this is done and over with.
“The board has been supportive of the action that had been taken back in 2016 from the get-go,” Crawford said.
“Although we knew right from the beginning that it wasn’t going to be an issue if [the suit] did proceed.”
Collrins denied any wrongdoing
A month after the Collrins were told to leave, Saint John police confirmed they were investigating “possible financial irregularities” after a review of financial statements by an outside accountant.
The Collrins — who had lived on-site of the zoo since it opened in 1978 — denied any wrongdoing during their time there and said they would cooperate with police.
“However we will not agree to be defamed publicly by the Board of Trustees or their representatives and we intend to take all necessary legal actions to remedy the harm these false accusations have caused us,” the Collrins said in August 2016.
Crawford does not know why Collrin ended the suit but said they can now focus on making things better at the zoo.
“We’ve been very happy since this whole activity took place with the support we’ve received by organizations in the area as well as the people of greater Saint John,” she said. “We certainly look forward to an ongoing interaction with the people.”
