WROTB Files Counterclaim Against Former Gaming Executive
WROTB has counterclaimed against ex-COO Michael Nolan, alleging he breached duties while engaging in a smear campaign against the organization
WROTB, Michael Nolan, Henry Wojtaszek, Buffalo, New York
Buffalo: So, the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp (WROTB) is in a bit of a legal tussle. They’ve filed a counterclaim against their former COO, Michael Nolan. He’s the guy who blew the whistle on some alleged shady stuff going on at the organization.
WROTB claims Nolan didn’t just spill the beans; they say he was on a mission to tarnish their reputation. They filed this counterclaim on November 27, saying he broke his loyalty and confidentiality duties while trying to make them look bad.
According to WROTB, Nolan teamed up with his lawyer and a former state senator to leak confidential info to the press. They’re saying this whole thing has cost them financially, especially since they had to pay Nolan while he was supposedly being disloyal.
Now, WROTB wants the court to throw out Nolan’s whistleblower lawsuit and is asking for some cash to cover their legal fees. They’re pretty confident about their case, according to their attorney, Aaron Saykin.
On the flip side, Nolan’s lawyer, Steve Cohen, isn’t having it. He called WROTB’s counterclaim a desperate move, suggesting they’re just trying to get him off the case because they’re in hot water with state and federal investigators.
Things got messy when Nolan was still COO. WROTB found itself under investigation by several agencies, including the FBI. Nolan was let go in December 2020 after nearly 30 years with the company.
In his lawsuit, Nolan claims he was fired for cooperating with investigators about some questionable practices at WROTB. He’s talking about things like overly generous health benefits for board members and giving contracts to politically connected folks.
He also says he faced retaliation for his whistleblowing, like being denied a raise and having to work weekends. Nolan claims this whole ordeal has caused him a lot of emotional distress and cost him a pretty penny in legal fees.
Initially, a judge dismissed his lawsuit, but an appeals court brought it back to life last year. Recently, the same judge dismissed some of Nolan’s claims but kept others alive, which WROTB wasn’t too happy about.
WROTB’s counterclaim also throws some shade at Nolan, saying he’s not trustworthy and even hinting that he might have wanted to take over the CEO position himself.
They’re also accusing him of secretly hiring a lawyer without telling the board. It’s all getting pretty complicated, with WROTB claiming Nolan was running his own investigation without their knowledge.
In a twist, WROTB says Nolan didn’t even bring up his concerns until a board meeting in 2019, where he tried to pin the blame for the bad press on the CEO. He even hinted at going to the FBI about it.
WROTB is also saying that during an internal investigation, Nolan told a lawyer he didn’t think there was any illegal activity happening. But later, he changed his tune, claiming there were substantial abuses regarding ticket distribution.
Meanwhile, there are whispers that state authorities are looking into WROTB, especially concerning some buyout payments for the outgoing CEO. It seems like this saga is far from over, and everyone’s keeping a close eye on how it unfolds.