TD executive sues after being fired for adding Christian symbol to her email signature - National Post
TD’s email signature rules permit “only limited, optional identifiers such as personal pronouns, consistent with its obligations” under the company’s code of conduct, respectful workplace policy and applicable law, its statement of defence says. Photo by Gordon Kent/Postmedia/FileArticle contentA Christian addition to her TD Insurance email signature has cost a senior manager her $210,000-per-year job.
In a statement of claim filed with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Toronto, Sonja Denobrega seeks more than $400,000 in damages from TD, alleging she was wrongfully dismissed after tagging “I am HIS ✝️” on to the end of her email signature in a stand against a company policy that she says “only allowed for gender/sex identification and allowed no room for other identities.”
Denobrega, the company’s former associate vice-president of underwriting operations, claims that her January 2026 firing was discriminatory, alleging that her termination was based partly on her creed and age.
Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format.
A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.
The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox.
We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again
For its part, TD says that 52-year-old Denobrega’s dismissal had nothing to do with her creed, age or any other protected characteristic under human rights legislation. Instead, the company’s statement of defence says that it had just cause to terminate Denobrega’s employment without notice, as a result of her wilful subordination after she repeatedly ignored warnings to bring her email signature into compliance.
“The Plaintiff’s employment was terminated solely due to her failure to comply with TD’s standards regarding email signatures, which were explained to her on several occasions,” the court document reads. “As a senior employee in a leadership position, the Plaintiff was expected to model compliance with TD’s policies, not to defy them. Her misconduct undermined TD’s ability to rely on her to follow TD procedures and guidelines and resulted in a loss of trust that irreparably damaged the employment relationship.”
According to Denobrega’s claim, she told a HR representative that she wanted TD to remove pronouns from its signature lines. However, the company’s response says that its policy of permitting – but not requiring – employees to identify their pronouns was non-negotiable.
