A Human Rights Tribunal in a rare ruling has ordered a complainant to pay $25,000 in costs for filing a frivolous claim against his former employer. The accusations were so outlandish they appeared “designed to obstruct the Tribunal’s process,” wrote an adjudicator.

“This complaint has all the markings of a frivolous and vexatious complaint,” wrote Cynthia Dickins, adjudicator in the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal case. “It is difficult to see any other reason than malicious intent for the filing of a human rights complaint in the workplace where the complainant purposefully misled the respondent and the Tribunal.”

The complainant, a security guard, claimed religious discrimination after being fired in 2018. Evidence showed the guard while still on probation was dismissed after abruptly cancelling his shifts at a Fort McMurray, Alta, mall.