A former dean of the University of Manitoba’s law school, Jonathan Black-Branch, is facing accusations of misusing university funds and breaching integrity, totaling more than $200,000 in expenses. Black-Branch abruptly left his position as dean in July 2020, following a period of leave in May, with no official explanation provided at the time. However, six law professors later expressed concerns about his tenure and the secrecy surrounding his departure in a letter to the Law Society of Manitoba.
In August 2020, the University of Southampton in the U.K. initially announced Black-Branch’s appointment as the head of its law school but later rescinded the offer citing “a change of circumstances.”
The Law Society of Manitoba is now pursuing allegations of breach of integrity against Black-Branch. During a hearing before an independent disciplinary panel, it was revealed that Black-Branch had used an endowment fund under his responsibility to take courses at Harvard Business School and another adjunct school, expenses unrelated to the fund’s intended purpose.
Additionally, Black-Branch allegedly submitted 141 fraudulent expense claims to the university for expenses supposedly incurred at the Manitoba Club, a private members-only venue in Winnipeg. The claims were not related to university business.
Further evidence presented by the law society indicated that Black-Branch had also filed expense claims for meals at the Across the Board Café in Winnipeg’s Exchange District, passing them off as university-related expenses. Nicholas Mann, the café’s manager, testified that Black-Branch was a regular customer who often dined alone and ordered additional takeout items alongside his meals. Mann was unaware of Black-Branch’s university affiliation until media reports regarding his departure.
Notably, Black-Branch was not present during the hearing. He had previously requested an adjournment due to medical reasons, but this request was denied on the grounds that he had known about the hearing for an extended period and had not provided adequate medical documentation. The hearing was eventually postponed to Wednesday to allow Black-Branch more notice of the decision.
On Wednesday, Black-Branch attempted to request another adjournment, providing a doctor’s note and claiming insufficient time to secure legal representation. However, the disciplinary panel, supported by the society’s lawyer, Rocky Kravetsky, found the medical note lacking in detail and further delays unjustified due to the public interest in determining the outcome of the serious ethical allegations against him.