Former Occupation Double Greece reality TV contestant Michael Henaf is embroiled in a civil lawsuit against an ex-employer who accuses him of “fraudulently cashing” a $3,710 check, though the influencer claims he have the right to do so.
“The allegations of bad faith or pseudo-fraud by Henaf are libelous because they are unfounded,” says the influencer, who is suing for nearly $27,000 for defamation against the pastry shop where he worked.
The dispute dates back to last year, when Henaf became the manager of a Duc de Lorraine pastry shop in Montreal. From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., his job included promoting the restaurant on social media and even signing the company’s checks.
The adventure lasted four months until Henaf quit his job. A month later, however, he cashed a paycheck for a period in which he had already been paid, according to a court document filed with Montreal court.
Among other things, the Duke of Lorraine raised doubts that “denunciatory reports could be made to the police authorities” and demanded the reimbursement of the sum.
But Henaf insists this is legitimate pay for an earlier time, and he simply went the way of the times.
“Bad faith has not been proven and cannot be,” his attorney, Me Mathieu Laplante-Goulet, adds in the court documents.
The influencer, who has 100,000 followers on Instagram and now runs his own restaurant, deplores the “boldness” of the terms used by the Duke of Lorraine in public court filings and denounced an attack on his reputation by portraying it as dishonest.
With the firm intention of proving that he was not guilty of anything, he therefore decided to defend himself and claim damages.
A hearing is set to be held in the fall.
In another defamation case brought by Henaf against alumni of Occupation Double Bali and XOXO, the influencer dropped its civil suit, court documents show.