A former chief Crown attorney is suing the Nova Scotia government and the province’s Public Prosecution Service, alleging she was bullied, sidelined without explanation and ultimately forced out of her leadership role.
The lawsuit was filed this week in the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia by Kathryn Pentz, who has practiced law for more than 40 years and worked as a Crown attorney since 1993.
Pentz is alleging the director of the Public Prosecution Service, Rick Woodburn, bullied and undermined her, and that she was placed on administrative leave without explanation and later demoted from her position as a chief Crown overseeing all prosecutors in Cape Breton.
Her demotion, the claim alleges, amounts to “constructive dismissal,” a legal term for when an employer dramatically changes an employee’s position, said lawyer Gavin Giles, who is representing Pentz in the civil lawsuit.
“It’s a demotion. And it could be a demotion with respect to simply remuneration and other benefits. It can be a demotion with respect to the position within the organization, or it can be both, and in this case it was both,” Giles said in an interview on Thursday.
The claim also alleges Pentz was falsely accused of breach of trust and fraud over how she approved invoices from an independent attorney hired by the Public Prosecution Service to provide services.
Pentz alleges the actions by Woodburn and another senior leader damaged her reputation, caused significant financial losses and led to mental health impacts, including “extreme” anxiety and depression.
None of the allegations have been proven in court and a statement of defence has not yet been filed.
A spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service said in an email that Woodburn was out of office, and that it would not be commenting on the allegations.
A spokesperson for the province’s Department of Justice, also named as a defendant in the claim, said in an email it would not be appropriate to comment while the matter is before the courts.
The claim said Pentz became a senior Crown in 2005 and was appointed chief Crown for the entire Cape Breton region in 2015.
“Throughout substantially all of her tenure as the Chief Crown Attorney for Cape Breton, the Plaintiff performed exceptionally, never received a negative performance evaluation, and maintained her well-earned reputation,” the claim states.
Series of events
Woodburn was appointed acting director of the Public Prosecution Service in November 2023 and was named director in February 2026.
In April 2025, Woodburn and Jennifer MacLellan, then acting deputy director of the prosecution service, visited the Sydney, N.S., office to informally meet with attorneys and support staff, the claim alleges.
The day after the meeting at the Sydney office, Woodburn and MacLellan met with Pentz, the claim said.
“The attitude displayed by Woodburn to the plaintiff was rude, aggressive, demeaning, and unprofessional,” it states.
“Without any objective knowledge, and without any basis in fact, Woodburn informed the plaintiff that he did not regard her as capable of performing her managerial duties as the chief Crown attorney for Cape Breton, and that he doubted that she had ever been capable of performing those managerial duties.”
On June 9, 2025, Pentz was informed she was being placed on paid administrative leave while an investigation was launched over concerns with her performance and her working relationship with the employer, the claim said.
It said Pentz inquired about the reason for her administrative leave and the precise nature of the performance concerns.
“Woodburn refused or otherwise failed to answer any of the plaintiff’s related questions, and he in effect rudely, abruptly and unprofessionally dismissed the plaintiff from any further discussion,” the claim said.
In November 2025, Pentz was summoned to a meeting with Woodburn and MacLellan. The claim said she requested an agenda or a written outline of the subjects to be discussed, but her request was not even acknowledged.
Pentz was informed at the meeting that she was being demoted from chief Crown attorney for Cape Breton to Crown attorney, the claim states.
MacLellan, who was appointed a provincial court judge earlier this year, declined to comment on the lawsuit this week through a spokesperson for the judiciary.
Giles said the demotion was dramatic and ultimately forced Pentz into retirement.
“She had a position which she loved, which she was proud of, which she thought she did well and which numerous other people said she did well,” said Giles.
“I think it’s fair to say that she was looking at or entering into the twilight of her career and was looking forward to perhaps a graceful exit at some not too distant time, and to have the legs cut out from under her, I think it’s had a devastating effect.”
The claim seeks damages for lost income and benefits, as well as punitive damages related to how Pentz was treated.
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