Former CEO Files Discrimination Complaint Against UVI’s RTPark

Peter Chapman, former CEO of the UVI Research and Technology Park, alleges in a new lawsuit against the corporation that he was fired 55 days after informing the head of the board of directors in January 2024 that he had cancer and would need accommodations to travel to the mainland for treatment.

Chapman, who also filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the RTPark and its board chair last November that is ongoing, is alleging violations of the Civil Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, including retaliation and discrimination, in the 22-page complaint filed Thursday in V.I. District Court.

UVI’s Research and Technology Park was established in 2002. It offers tax exemptions and reductions to promote the “economic growth, development and diversification of the Virgin Islands and the broadening of the capabilities of the University of the Virgin Islands,” according to the V.I. Code.

Chapman became executive director of the public-private entity in September 2018, and at the time he was fired, he was earning an annual salary of $170,000, plus a monthly housing allowance of $5,200, and was eligible for an annual bonus of up to $40,000.