The CEO said executive quit. The judge read the texts and disagreed
A string of text messages was enough to fire a chemical company's chief operating officer without notice, an Alberta court has ruled. The decision rejected the employer's claim that the executive had quit, and left two related companies jointly liable for the payout.
Justice D.J. Reed of the Court of King's Bench of Alberta released the decision on June 5, 2026, granting summary judgment to Kevin O'Donoghue against his former employer, Fluid Energy Group Ltd., which later renamed itself Chemical Evolution Ltd. O'Donoghue, who joined the company at its 2011 founding and rose to chief operating officer, was awarded $291,000 for 18 months' notice under his employment contract, before deductions, along with a bonus, benefits, and matching retirement contributions.
The dispute traced to January 2023, days after Fluid Energy sold the core of its business and the deal closed on January 6. Three days later, O'Donoghue and chief executive Clay Purdy traded texts in which Purdy told him a package would be prepared and directed him to return company property.
One message, reproduced in the decision, read: "Legal will get your package done. Turn in your laptop, key cards, etc." Justice Reed found the exchange amounted to an actual or constructive dismissal without notice or cause, with no genuine issue requiring a trial.
Fluid Energy did not treat the exchange as a firing. It argued O'Donoghue...
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