In light of the recent e-mail The “Nova Management/Ownership” has issued, I have this response:
- I was a shareholder of Nova Health and Fitness
- I had a lease agreement with Nova Health and Fitness to operate a physiotherapy clinic in their premises that was signed by Ralph Darling as CEO. At this point we cannot confirm Ralph Darling held this position at the time if signing.
- I never have been nor am I the director, owner or anything other than a shareholder and occupant of Nova Health and Fitness
- On Monday February 26, 2013 at approximately 10:00 A.M. Michael Darling approached me at my office in Performax Health Group (my office manager can confirm this) to tell me he was declaring bankruptcy. This was approximately 2 weeks after he abruptly stopped paying his staff and told them that I had agreed to start paying them. There is a clause in my contract with Nova that states this is not my responsibility nor did I ever agree to this.
- The part of the e-mail many of you have received from Nova management that bears truth is that I did, in fact, remove Mike Darling and his brother Ralph from the premises and took away their keys. I did so as I became aware that they were selling and trying to sell memberships and personal training packages telling members that the packages and memberships would be honored by myself. Many of the Nova staff and members can confirm this.
- In no way, shape or form did I ever agree to honor memberships, personal training packages or any other service sold from Nova Health and Fitness. In fact I had stated several times to both Mike and Ralph Darling that I could not do so as I did not have the resources to make that happen (insurance, staffing, capital etc.) I also have not ever signed an agreement to do so ( as would have been necessary) nor did i receive any monies for this supposed agreement which obviously would have been necessary to pay for training staff, utilities etc..
- Mike Darling and his brother Ralph have always represented themselves to staff and members as officials of Nova Health and Fitness
- To the best of my knowledge Mike Darling is not the owner/director of Nova Health and Fitness
I am deeply disturbed by the actions of the management of Nova Health and Fitness as they have deliberately tried to soil my reputation and name as a care-giver in this community. I am currently seeking my legal options as there is deliberate defamation of character. There deliberate and careless actions actions have also caused a great amount of stress and caused hard-ship to me and my staff.
Finally, and more importantly, I am truly sorry for the financial and moral loss so many of you have suffered. Although it is not their responsibility to do so, the training staff have been trying to accommodate many of you who bought training packages that otherwise would not be honored.
Please check the website for updates on this situation.
Sincerely,
Dean Kotopski BScPT,RMT,CAc
Owner – Performax Health Group/Performax Physiotherapy and Sports Rehabilitation
