Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Bank Seeks Dismissal of Suit by Fired Executive : Courts: Valencia National directors say the wrongful termination action by Robert Manley, the Santa Clarita financial institution’s former president, contains unsupported accusations.

Valencia National Bank directors have asked a court to dismiss a $2-million wrongful termination lawsuit filed by the bank’s former president.

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Bank officials said the suit, filed by Robert Manley, 51, is full of legal holes and unsupported accusations, according to court documents obtained Thursday.

Manley, one of the founders of Santa Clarita’s only local bank, contends he was fired June 1 because he was cracking down on delinquent loans to board members. Bank officials have admitted losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in 1993 because of defaulted loans to board members, four of whom resigned as a result.

They said, however, that no current board member has a delinquent loan.

Bank officials have labeled Manley’s accusations a smoke screen to cover up what they say are the real reasons he was fired: a decline in bank earnings from 1991 to 1993 and complaints from shareholders about his management style.

Legal documents asking that the suit be thrown out of court were filed by the bank’s attorneys Wednesday in Superior Court in Van Nuys. The documents state that Manley served “at the pleasure” of the board and that the board was, therefore, allowed to terminate him at any time.

The documents state that a legal basis for a claim of wrongful termination would exist if Manley was fired for refusing a board request to perform an illegal action, or if he reported alleged violations of the law by the board to a government agency. But the bank stated that Manley does not claim in his lawsuit that either occurred.

Manley declined to comment on the bank’s statements because he has not seen them. But he said he still believes his accusations will stand up in court.

“We feel we have a good case,” he said. “Otherwise, we wouldn’t have filed the lawsuit in the first place.”

Board Chairman Lou Garasi and attorneys for the bank could not be reached for comment. Bank President Charles Goldstein said he could not comment on the documents because he has not seen them.

Manley’s lawsuit names the bank and its eight current board members as defendants. Board members are Garasi, Eugene Burke, Charles Albre, Richard Keysor, Walter Fisher, Richard Patterson, Robert Nahabit and Joseph McKeon, brother of Rep. Howard (Buck) McKeon (R-Santa Clarita.)