The former Chief Financial Officer of Williams Lake has landed herself in potential hot water for alleged forgery and fraud.
David Young, a retired dentist, has filed a civil claim against Stewart through the BC Supreme Court.
Margaret Stewart and her husband claimed damages against Young and others arising from water damage that occurred to a house owned by them in Burns Lake.
Although Young leased the home in August of 2011, it was occupied by a dentist from the U.S who worked at a dental clinic for a few weeks each month leaving the home unoccupied when he was not in Burns Lake.
On or about, January 24, 2012, the water pipes within the unoccupied home froze and water damage resulted.
The Stewarts alleget that Young breached the terms of their lease agreement with the result that they were liable for the suffered damages and produced a lease which appeared to bear Young’s signature and also contained a two page addendum-“The Stewart Lease” which imposed a responsibility on Young to check the house daily during any period it was unoccupied in winter months.
Young denied that the two-page addendum was attached to the lease that he signed.
The action was settled in June 2015; a short time before a scheduled trial date and a Consent Order was entered on September 2, 2015 against Young in favor of the Stewarts in the amount of $150,000.
Following the settlement and execution of a Consent Order, Young discovered the existence of another lease bearing his signature and the signature of Stewart-“The Real Lease.”
“The Real Lease”, according to Young does not contain the two-page addendum and instead handwritten provisions imposing the obligation of Stewart to check the house during periods of unoccupancy.
Young says he has determined that his apparent signature on the “The Stewart Lease” is not his real signature and that his genuine signature is on the “The Real Lease”.
He alleges that “The Stewart Lease” is a forgery and that the settlement of the action and the Consent Order were obtained by fraud of the Stewarts.
Margaret Stewart was released as Director of Finance for the City of Williams Lake without cause on May 22, 2015.