* They talk in private and take decisions in improper venues
* The guy is slighted at the last minute, told it is because of X
... is an all too "professional" way to do it. This is how professionals will do it, when they want to let you know they don't like you. With a little deniability, but not too much. If what the complainant alleges is true, there are too much social skill at work here - skill at exquisitely snubbing someone.
* Person is invited to talk
* Person asks "You know about X, right?"
* They say "sure, it's no problem"
* They talk in private and take decisions in improper venues
* The guy is slighted at the last minute, told it is because of X
... is an all too "professional" way to do it. This is how professionals will do it, when they want to let you know they don't like you. With a little deniability, but not too much. If what the complainant alleges is true, there are too much social skill at work here - skill at exquisitely snubbing someone.