The Supreme Court of British Columbia has awarded a recruiter of financial advisors more than $140,000 in a wrongful dismissal suit.

In Sowden v. Manulife Canada Ltd., the B.C. top court ruled that Manulife owes damages to former employee Janice Sowden after she was dismissed in a corporate restructuring.

The court ruled last year, after a summary trial, that Sowden was entitled to damages, but it was initially unable to quantify those damages due to conflicts in the evidence.

Following a trial on the question of damages, the top court found that Sowden — who was dismissed after 20 years with the firm — was owed a bigger bonus than the firm initially paid her, and 20 months worth of notice when she was dismissed, less the salary she subsequently earned in her new job.

The court ruled that, as of the date of dismissal, Sowden was owed an additional $62,550 in bonus for her work the previous year. It also ruled that she was entitled to $320,000 in damages in lieu of the 20-month notice period for which she was entitled.

However, this total must be reduced by the money she earned from her new employer and the statutory statutory severance pay she received, the court decision notes.

As well, Manulfe made an interim payment in September 2014, thereby reducing the final judgment to $143,111.52.