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A managing director was terminated because he complained about a direction that put him in an "impossible position", the Federal Court has ruled.

The MD's complaint "annoyed and angered [the decision-maker] into deciding to cut ties with him", Justice Yaseen Shariff found.

The MD for Whistle Funds Management Company was dismissed in March last year, and he subsequently lodged an adverse action claim, alongside claims alleging breaches of the National Employment Standards.

The Court heard that on 4 March, the employer's founder sent numerous emails to the MD, stating that he wanted to be kept informed about all conversations with certain investors – including those from the well-known Fairfax family – and that the MD was not to have discussions without him present "under any and all circumstances"...