EX-Cherries assistant boss Russ Wilcox has followed former manager Lee Bradbury by lodging with the High Court a claim against the club for wrongful dismissal.

Wilcox, who spent just four months in his post, is pursuing Cherries for damages of £355,233 after alleging they were in breach of his contract of employment.

The 49-year-old’s case surrounds the circumstances of his departure – with Wilcox disputing the club’s decision to place him on garden leave following Bradbury’s exit.

Wilcox assisted Bradbury for 19 games between December 2011 and March 2012, the pair eventually replaced by Paul Groves and Shaun Brooks.

Earlier this year, Bradbury commenced an action against the club for wrongful dismissal, with his claim for damages amounting to £354,706.93.

Wilcox is alleging Cherries were in breach of his £1,500 per week salary under his employment contract, with his claim including pension, private medical insurance, life assurance and bonuses.

The particulars of his claim say Wilcox entered into a contract with the club on February 14 2012 with a clause stating that, in the event of either party giving notice of termination, the club reserved the right, at its discretion, to require Wilcox to serve “any or all of his notice period on garden leave”.

Cherries reported Wilcox had been put on garden leave after Bradbury’s departure in March 2012. The particulars of the breach claim Wilcox had been given an alternative to either accept a post in the club’s youth department or leave.

The court document states that, on March 26 2012, Cherries chief executive Neill Blake emailed Wilcox informing him he had been placed on garden leave until April 16 2012. Wilcox’s claim, however, states “there was no provision in the contract permitting garden leave or suspension from performance of duties in any other scenario except where notice to terminate had been given”.

League Managers’ Association representative Graham Mackrell is said to have emailed Blake advising him that placing Wilcox on garden leave amounted to a “repudiatory breach of contract”. The document claims Blake did not respond.

A letter from Eddie Mitchell to Wilcox, dated April 17, said there was no requirement for him to attend work on a day-to-day basis.

When contacted by the Daily Echo yesterday, the High Court confirmed the case was ongoing.

Cherries chairman Mitchell said: “It is not for me to come out in public and say what my thoughts are but, if that is what Russ wants to do, we will have to look at the situation as and when it becomes apparent.”

Wilcox’s claim includes payment for the remainder of his contract until June 2015 together with anticipated salary increases and bonuses for the club playing in the Championship. He is currently assistant manager at Scunthorpe.