Healthcare Locums, the scandal-hit nursing recruitment agency that came close to collapse after discovering a black hole in its accounts, is being sued for £2.2 million by its sacked founder Kate Bleasdale.
The former executive chairman lost her job in 2011 for deliberately falsifying company accounts. Now she is suing for money lost on her shares, which once totted up to an 11% interest in HL.
Today her shareholding is less than 1%, worth about £14,000. Bleasdale claims the board’s decision in January 2011 to suspend trading in the Company’s shares was “unreasonable and unnecessary” and wants the board to buy her shares at the price it was at that time, which would cost £2.24 million. Shares today are worth 0.75p.
The firm is contesting the claim, and said Bleasdale’s account “is not consistent with the Employment Tribunal’s findings at her unsuccessful case for unfair dismissal, discrimination and whistle blowing.”
Kate Bleasdale said today she was continuing her attempt to appeal against the decision of the Employment Tribunal.
