In 1996, the Humane Society of Canada (as an affiliate of HSUS) filed a lawsuit alleging that Irwin and other HSUS officials transferred $1 million from their account to HSUS without authorization. They also alleged HSUS "took its donor list, and overcharged for administrative costs." In January 1997, a Canadian judge ruled in favor of the Humane Society of Canada, writing: "I cannot imagine a more glaring conflict of interest or a more egregious breach of fiduciary duty. It demonstrates an overweening arrogance of a type seldom seen." Irwin's tenure as president at the American Bible Society (ABS) ended after his contract was not renewed by the organization's trustees. He was placed on paid leave (along with chief financial officer Richard B. Stewart, Jr.) after an article in
The New York Times linked him with Richard J. Gordon, with ties to online pornography and gambling enterprises. In April 2003, the Humane Society paid $881,000 to Gordon's Exciting New Technologies (ENT) company; ENT hired Irwin's son (Christopher) as director of business development. ==Selected publications==