Thompson Rivers University (TRU) has announced it has settled a lawsuit filed by a former staffer who was fired after allegations of bullying and harassment.

Larry Phillips was fired in December 2021 after serving as the associate vice-president of people and culture at the university, which is based in Kamloops, B.C.

It came after complaints against Phillips, who was accused of fostering a toxic workplace, according to documents obtained by CBC News and interviews with more than a dozen people in 2021.

An internal investigation from TRU, which was heavily redacted and released in January 2023, found that some of the allegations against senior leaders at the university were substantiated. The exact allegations, and which leaders they concerned, were not specified in the report.

In a statement released last week, TRU said Phillips had filed a lawsuit that alleged the university had mishandled the investigation and “mistreated Mr. Phillips in its administration of his termination.”

“In March 2026, the parties met and, with the assistance of a mediator, resolved the litigation. The terms of settlement are confidential and will not be disclosed by either party,” the university said.

The university acknowledged in its statement that it made mistakes during the internal investigation, which “resulted in unfairness to Mr. Phillips and exacerbated the harms suffered by Mr. Phillips and his family.”

The statement says Phillips participated in the internal investigation in good faith after he was terminated following the December 2021 allegations.

“TRU implemented what was meant to be a confidential investigation process, but some of the complainants took their allegations to the media, where they were widely reported and exaggerated,” the statement reads.

“This caused significant reputational harm and mental distress to Mr. Phillips.”

Investigation took over a year

While TRU said Phillips was ultimately found to have committed some breaches of TRU policy, it adds that “the more serious allegations which had been publicized in the media were found to be unsubstantiated.”

The university did not specify which allegations were considered to be the most serious.

A total of 34 witnesses were interviewed for the internal investigation, and investigators reviewed “hundreds” of documents, including emails, media reports, social media posts and text messages, TRU said in January 2023.

Board chair Marilyn McLean told CBC News at the time the investigation cost $1 million in legal fees and lasted more than a year.