Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk seems to be in the spotlight a lot recently for all the wrong reasons. After it was recently revealed that he was being sued by an American casino for alleged unpaid gambling debts, now comes word of another lawsuit, this time dealing with a private jet.
According to the CBC, Flightpath Charter Airways filed a lawsuit back in July claiming it was owed close to $700,000 for the operation, maintenance and storage of a Bombardier Challenger 604 business jet belonging to Clean Beauty Collective, a company owned by Melnyk. In an emailed statement to CBC, the laywer for Flightpath says the company "commenced an application to sell Mr. Melnyk's aircraft with the intent to pay off creditors who have not been paid." The legal filings by Flightpath claim Melnyk owes money to the Ottawa International Airport Authority, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Ottawa-based navigation company NAV Canada.
"For months, [Melnyk] flew the aircraft, incurred third party expenses, and demanded that [Flightpath] manage and operate the aircraft but failed to pay for insurance, NAV Canada, fuel, pilots, pilot training, maintenance, storage and repair expenditures without explanation, and without justification," says the court documents filed by Fightpath.
Melnyk's lawyer also emailed the CBC and stated Melnyk's company "voluntarily paid into court the full amount of money that Flightpath claims it is owed", and that money "will sit in an account controlled by the court until a judge rules on the dispute."
Flightpath has confirmed it has withdrawn an application to sell the plane.
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