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The Frères du Sacré-Coeur, a Quebec Catholic organization that is the focus of sexual abuse claims, has reportedly agreed to pay $60 million to end two such class action lawsuits.
The multimillion-dollar settlement, reached Tuesday, is a historic amount, according to a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, reports CBC News. In addition, the provincial superior of the Frères du Sacré-Coeur issued a statement apologizing to those who suffered sexual abuse at Catholic institutions run by the organization.
“To all the victims, the order apologizes for the abuses which have been carried out by religious educators,” says the statement from Donald Bouchard, provincial superior of the Frères du Sacré-Coeur. “We wish and hope that the victims can close a painful chapter in their lives, knowing that nothing can ever erase the wrongs that have been done to you.”
The Frères du Sacré-Coeur, which translates to Brothers of the Sacred Heart, is a Roman Catholic missionary order that operates numerous institutions across Quebec.
The first class action lawsuit filed against the Frères du Sacré-Coeur alleged that an all-boys boarding school was rife with sexual abuse. Filed in October 2016 by an anonymous 56-year-old, the class action lawsuit alleged that the plaintiff was sexually abused more than 300 times while attending Mont-Sacré-Coeur College.
Brother Claude Lebeau was named as the sexual assault perpetrator in the complaint. Lebeau is the priest who reportedly ran the Mont-Sacré-Coeur College at the time of the plaintiff’s abuse between 1973 and 1975.
In the weeks following the filing of the Frères du Sacré-Coeur class action lawsuit, around 30 other people came forward with similar claims. These individuals were reportedly abused at the Mont-Sacré-Coeur College between 1940 and 1980.
Lawyers reportedly learned that many people were ineligible for the class action because they were abused by priests other than Brother Claude Lebeau. As a result, lawyers decided to modify the Frères du Sacré-Coeur class action lawsuit to include claims of sexual abuse by teachers and dormitory supervisors in 2017.
A second class action lawsuit was authorized against the Frères du Sacré-Coeur in 2019. The plaintiffs claimed that sexual abuse occurred at 26 Catholic institutions run by the organization.
According to the second Frères du Sacré-Coeur class action, sexual abuse was perpetrated by 25 clergy members over the course of several decades. The abuse allegedly occurred at 26 schools, orphanages, summer camps, and other institutions. This includes Frères du Sacré-Coeur locations in Montreal, Quebec City, and other places around Quebec.
More than 200 Class Members have already filed to become part of the $60 million class action settlement which spans more than 75 years, reports CBC News. Those who have not yet signed up can do so by contacting the law firm representing the plaintiffs.
Will you take part in the Frères du Sacré-Coeur class action settlement?
Class Members are represented by the Kugler Kandestin law firm.
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