London, Ontario – February 16, 2021.
Father Fabio Theophilo has filed a statement of claim against the North London Dance Centre, a co-ed dance school, in response to the centre breaking their contract and expelling three of his daughters: Raphaela (16), Alice (11), and Angelina (9).
Mr. Theophilo says his daughters’ dance education has been unfairly hindered, and their loss of connection to the dance school has caused them tremendous emotional suffering. Mr. Theophilo is asking the courts for $100,000 in damages – comprising of $30,000 in general damages, $10,000 in special damages, and $60,000 in punitive damages.
“When I enrolled my daughters in dance lessons, I thought it would boost their creativity and confidence in a fun and active way. Unfortunately, the centre’s actions have done just the opposite – instead causing significant harm to my daughters’ happiness and self-esteem. As a father, it breaks my heart to see them in pain. But as a lawyer, I don’t want North London Dance Centre to get away with this.”
On December 28, 2019, Mr. Theophilo received a letter from Kelly Hajar, Director of the dance centre, informing him of the decision to terminate their relationship, alleging that Mr. Theophilo’s emails and interactions with staff were “harassing in nature.”
Mr. Theophilo maintains his interactions with the dance centre staff were always polite and cordial, however, he began to take issue with the centre’s behaviour when his 9-year-old daughter, Angelina, was excluded from participating in the December 2019 recital after missing a class due to illness.
Mr. Theophilo argues that the centre applied a rule in excluding Angelina that was not applied to other students and believes the decision to exclude her was a way to provoke him. Mr. Theophilo states that all of his daughters’ tuition instalments and recital fees were paid in full, and the dance centre’s actions are in breach of contract.
Mr. Theophilo is being advised by Andrew Rogerson, founder of Rogerson Law Group (RLG), who runs an active Victims of Private School Bullying practice designed to bring awareness to the destructive effects of bullying at private and independent schools in the province. Mr. Rogerson is also currently representing two victims of bullying at the prestigious all-girls private school, Havergal College, located in Toronto, Ontario.
For more information about the Victims of Private School Bullying practice, visit Rogerson Law Group’s Bullying & Litigation webpage.