Serious pressure placed on club chairman to resign

The Civil Court yesterday declared that a former Union Club chairman had been seriously pressurised to resign and her and her husband's dismissal as club members was illegal and abusive.

Mr Justice Geoffrey Valenzia partially upheld the writ of summons filed by Jonquil Tanti Hughes and her husband Edward against the club chairman, vice-chairman and secretary and against David DeMaria, Mary Galea, Edward Xuereb and George Bonnici.

The Tanti Hughes declared that Jonquil Tanti Hughes was elected chairman of the Union Club in March 1997.

On March 22, 1997, defendant George Bonnici, who had been elected vice-chairman, refused to take his post because he claimed that Jonquil Tanti Hughes had campaigned against him.

Another committee member, Victor Cavallo, had also handed in his resignation from the committee, together with Bonnici.

Tanti Hughes claimed that on her insistence, Bonnici had withdrawn his resignation.

In a committee meeting on March 24, 1997, the question arose as to whether Tanti Hughes' resignation from her post of chairperson, on March 22, 1997 was to be held valid.

She had withdrawn her resignation and had continued to preside over the committee meeting.

Plaintiff claimed that there was continued insistence against her instigated by other committee members, including defendant Mary Galea.

Following judicial proceedings between the parties, Jonquil Tanti Hughes received notice from the club, signed by David DeMaria, that her resignation was to be received within one week.

Her husband's club membership was not renewed by the club in December 1997.

Plaintiffs concluded their writ by requesting the court to declare that their dismissal from the club was abusive and illegal.

The court noted that Jonquil Tanti Hughes insisted that she had been forced to resign as a club member.

She also claimed that she had never really resigned from her post of club chairman.

The court concluded that serious pressure had been placed on Jonquil Tanti Hughes to resign as club chairman, and that plaintiffs' dismissal from club members was illegal and abusive.

The court added that it could not however order the reinstatement of Jonquil Tanti Hughes to her former post of club chairman, as subsequent club elections had taken place in line with the club's regulations.

Mr Justice Valenzia also found that David DeMaria, Mary Galea, Edward Xuereb and George Bonnici ought not to have been sued in their personal capacity.