In 1998, a new president and substantially new board of directors took over the orchestra. The president was Jean-Pierre Goyer, a lawyer and former Canadian cabinet minister. In 1999, Rescigno's contract was increasingly being breached, and he engaged a lawyer at Lavery, de Billy to assert his rights early in 2000. Thereupon, Goyer held a press conference to allege a resignation and mutual agreement to terminate the contract and announce Rescigno's replacement. Rescigno replaced the lawyers at Lavery, de Billy with the law firm Stikeman Elliott and sued. The Honourable Sylviane Borenstein, J.S.C., ultimately found that the "Defendant fired Plaintiff without cause and his contract was terminated in a brutal, abusive, cavalier and malicious manner." In addition, the Court labeled comments Goyer made at the March 9, 2000 press conference, immediately afterward, and into the Fall of 2000, as "false," "insulting," "gratuitous," and "malicious.",  Although the Orchestra briefly sought bankruptcy protection, it settled in early May 2006, and the May 23 newspapers carried an announcement of Goyer's retirement."En bref: Le Métropolitain hors de l'eau,"" Le Devoir", May 6, 2006, Page A 9."Goyer quitte l'OM" by Claude Gingras, "La Presse, Montreal", May 23, 2006."En bref: Démission de Jean-Pierre Goyer," "Le Devoir", May 23, 2006, Page B 8.</ref>