$28-million class-action settlement in sex abuse case against Clerics of St-Viateur

MONTREAL - Legal professionals say a $28-million settlement has been reached for greater than 375 sexual abuse victims of Quebec-based Catholic non secular order the Clerics of St-Viateur.

Montreal legislation agency Arsenault, Dufresne and Wee mentioned Thursday the settlement should be accepted by the Quebec Superior Court docket throughout a Feb. 17 listening to.

The legislation agency says the category motion was filed on Nov. 14, 2017, and contains greater than 375 victims up to now.

Brian Ford, a boarding college scholar within the Nineteen Eighties at Collège Bourget in Rigaud, Que., west of Montreal, was the lead plaintiff.

The request was granted by the Quebec Superior Court docket in April 2019, and it primarily concerned acts that allegedly occurred at Collège Bourget, but in addition in a minimum of twenty different institutions from 1935 to the current day.

These victims, largely males aged 60 and older, are former college students of faculties and residences that have been managed by the congregation of the Clerics of St-Viateur.

Following subsequent month’s listening to, the members of the category motion will current a confidential declare to former choose Claude Champagne, who has been appointed arbitrator. As effectively, the congregation will ship a letter of apology to every one that will acquire compensation.

Lawyer Justin Wee mentioned about 10 victims got here ahead initially, however he mentioned many others joined them after they overcame a few of the difficulties related to sexual abuse.

“That’s what we actually want to spotlight immediately, the braveness of the victims,” ​​Wee mentioned in an interview.

“Since 2017, when the case began, and it’s a fantastic reduction for all these victims who've been ready for this completely satisfied ending, and I feel it demonstrates once more that a class motion for sexual assault gives nice accessibility to justice,” he added.

“These 375 victims a minimum of won't need to testify in courtroom, to be cross-examined, won't need to carry a person lawsuit.”

In the meantime, legal proceedings are ongoing towards particular person members of the congregation.

Final July, priest Jean Pilon of the Clerics de St-Viateur was sentenced to a few and a half years in jail for legal acts of a sexual nature towards a dozen victims — girls and boys who have been minors on the time of the alleged acts.

This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Jan. 21, 2022.