Joe Natale is mad, and he’s looking for his ‘pound of flesh’ from his former employer, Rogers who he is now taking to the company for wrongful dismissal and breach of contract. Joe is seeking a total of $24 million in compensation and damages, including $4 million from an unpaid bonus tied to the closing of Rogers’ acquisition of Shaw Communications in April.
Why is Joe Natale suing Rogers?
According to the claim filed with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Natale alleges that Rogers chairman Edward Rogers and his wife, Suzanne Rogers, attempted to “tarnish his reputation” after his termination.
- Natale accuses Rogers of engaging in “malicious, high-handed, and oppressive conduct.”
- Suzanne Rogers is alleged to have hired actor Brian Cox of HBO’s “Succession” to record a “demeaning” video about the ousted CEO and Edward Rogers’ “real life Succession at Rogers Communications” (the video was distributed and eventually ended up on social media).
- Bill Walker of MidtownPR , Natale’s spokesperson said, “it is unfortunate that Rogers will not honour its commitments made to Mr. Natale.” “His employment agreement, put in place by the board of directors at the time was clearly articulated, duly executed and designed to ensure continuity during the Shaw merger.”
If you recall, back in January 2022 Suzanne Rogers paid actor Brian Cox who plays the character Logan to send a message congratulating her husband on his victory. Brian (in character as Logan) used his Cameo to post this message:
Joe was front and center in what turned out to be a 2-year Rogers family disagreement on the future direction of the company Edward Samuel (Ted) Rogers Jr founded in 1960 and that ultimately led to his firing in November 2021.
How did Rogers respond to Joe Natale allegations?
In response, Rogers filed a statement saying that Natale was fired after the conclusion of an independent investigation that the former CEO was aware of.
- “The investigation reveals that in October 2021, Mr. Natale knew that steps were being taken to make changes to the board and this would end his tenure as CEO.”
- “Before his departure, he awarded himself excessive compensation without proper board approval. This, and other actions, were a serious breach of his fiduciary duties as a chief executive officer and a director of a public company.”
- “The company will defend itself vigorously against his baseless claim and will file a counterclaim to address his improper behaviour.”
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