McDonald’s says it will be suing their former British CEO after he was ousted last year over an inappropriate relationship with an employee.

Steve Easterbrook, who was a former student at Watford Grammar School, is also alleged by the fast food chain that he covered up relationships with three other employees and destroyed evidence.

McDonald’s fired Mr Easterbrook last November after he acknowledged in an email to workers that he exchanged videos and text messages with an employee. He told the company that there were no other similar instances.

The Watford FC fan, who used to captain for West Herts Cricket Club, was appointed CEO in 2015.

Based on what the company knew at the time, McDonald’s board approved a separation agreement “without cause” that allowed Mr Easterbrook to keep around $40 million dollars (£36 million) in stock-based benefits plus 26 weeks of pay, amounting to compensation of about $670,000 (£603,000).

McDonald’s says in a lawsuit that it has since become aware of sexual relationships between Mr Easterbrook and three other employees prior to his firing.

The company said Mr Easterbrook removed evidence of those relationships from his mobile phone, preventing investigators from learning about them prior to his firing.

In a lawsuit filed in Delaware, McDonald’s said it would not have fired Mr Easterbrook without cause if it had known of the additional relationships.

McDonald’s is now attempting to block Mr Easterbrook from exercising his stock options and said it will seek compensatory damages.

In the early 2010s Mr Easterbrook left his smaller role in McDonald’s to become the boss of PizzaExpress and Wagamama, only for a year each, before returning to the fast food giant in 2015.