Consideration: What's Good For The Goose Is Good For The Gander

In a unique set of circumstances, the Ontario Superior Court recently found that changes to an employment contract which benefited an employee were void because the employer did not receive consideration.

The Facts

The employee in Waddilove v. 1748960 Ontario Limited was terminated without cause from his position as general manager of a casino. The employee argued that the parties were bound by a fixed-term employment contract which guaranteed him employment for seven years, and provided that he would be paid his salary for the entirety of the term if his employment were terminated without cause. The employee claimed that he was owed wages for the remaining four years of his contract.