{"id":38616,"date":"2022-05-16T08:14:38","date_gmt":"2022-05-15T20:14:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/propertynoise.co.nz\/au\/?p=38616"},"modified":"2022-05-16T08:14:38","modified_gmt":"2022-05-15T20:14:38","slug":"real-estate-agents-in-legal-fight-over-humiliating-all-staff-email","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/propertynoise.co.nz\/au\/real-estate-agents-in-legal-fight-over-humiliating-all-staff-email\/","title":{"rendered":"Real estate agents in legal fight over \u2018humiliating\u2019 all-staff email"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHOTO: Real estate agent Lauren Macpherson (RIGHT) said the email left her feeling hurt, distressed, embarrassed and humiliated.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Two prominent real estate agents are in court waging a defamation battle after a company\u2019s boss sent a negative all-staff email about another manager.<\/p>\n

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Former Real Estate Institute of Victoria president Leah Calnan is being sued over a note she allegedly sent to employees at her property management business criticising the former operations manager.<\/p>\n

Lauren Macpherson worked at Metro Property Management between June 2018 and April 2021, when she resigned from the company to take another job, according to a writ she filed in the County Court last month.<\/p>\n

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Leah Calnan, former president of the Real Estate Institute of Victoria.\u00a0<\/span>CREDIT:<\/span>WAYNE TAYLOR<\/cite><\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Soon after her resignation, Macpherson alleges Calnan sent a \u201cderogatory\u201d email to staff that left her feeling hurt, distressed, embarrassed and humiliated.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Macpherson, from Croydon, claims her personal and professional reputation has suffered as a result of Calnan\u2019s email.<\/p>\n

\u201cTeam,\u201d the email began, according to court documents.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been in two minds of sending this email to you but I think some things need to be said with full transparency.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to acknowledge the team members who I have spoken to so far that have felt let down, disappointed and frustrated with our previous operations manager, Lauren. It appears there were many things happening behind my back and perhaps it was assumed I knew.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In court documents, Macpherson stated that she was identified as the subject of Calnan\u2019s email with the words \u201cour previous operations manager, Lauren\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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Calnan went on to explain in the email that her position as REIV president during the COVID-19 pandemic meant she had to focus on that role seven days a week.<\/p>\n

After two terms as president, Calnan is now vice president at the REIV.<\/p>\n

\u201cI relied on my support network to ensure Metro and the team were being looked after,\u201d she wrote in the email.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s [sic] now appears this just didn\u2019t happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

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There were around 25 people on the \u201cEntire Metro Team\u201d distribution list who were sent the email, according to court documents.<\/p>\n

While Macpherson can\u2019t say exactly how many staff read the note, she argued most would have opened it because \u201cit was a derogatory email from their boss concerning a former boss.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the email, Calnan also apologised to staff \u201cfor letting you down\u201d, listing several examples of things that weren\u2019t handled correctly in her absence.<\/p>\n

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