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An Ontario judge has ruled in favor of a group of former Grenville Christian College students in a class action lawsuit involving abuse allegations against the school.
Justice Janet Leiper found the now-defunct boarding school “engaged in systemic negligence” from 1973 through 1997.
“The headmasters were the absolute masters of the Grenville domain, indulging in acts of petty cruelty and doling out disproportionate physical and emotional pain to vulnerable or less-favoured students,” the judge wrote in her order.
Judge Leiper noted in the Grenville Christian College class action lawsuit that the headmasters were not held accountable to a board or a written policy.
Grenville Christian College, which was located in Brockville, Ontario, was advertised as an Anglican institution. It reportedly was associated with the Community of Jesus, an authoritarian American sect.
“It required the appearance of happiness, enforced by strict discipline,” Judge Leiper wrote.
According to Judge Leiper, Grenville Christian College used the sect’s teachings in an effort to “mould” the students. The school also allegedly failed to maintain records of the extreme discipline to which it subjected its students.
According to the Grenville Christian College class action lawsuit, the boarding school reportedly caused students to suffer harm from negligence and abuse.
“The hidden cost for many students came in the form of lack of privacy, physical and emotional stability, autonomy and well-being,” the judge wrote.
The plaintiffs in the Grenville Christian College class action lawsuit claim they were unable to communicate with their families and that they were constantly under surveillance at the school. Students were allegedly required to look out for students who commit sins and report them.
According to the Grenville Christian College class action lawsuit, some students suffered injuries when they were beaten with wooden paddles.
The Grenville Christian College class action lawsuit also claims the school held “exorcisms” and “light sessions” during which students were allegedly forced to confess their sins to staff and other students. These sessions reportedly led students to taunt each other over the contents of their confessions, and often involved gender-based criticisms.
Female students were subjected to particular criticism at the school, according to Judge Leiper.
“Girls could be chastised for swaying as they walked, or for crossing their legs and risking their slips becoming visible to boys,” she wrote. “Clothing inspections could be accompanied by negative messages about the female form or sexuality.”
Another plaintiff reported that one of the headmasters touched him sexually.
Although the school argued the witnesses in the Grenville Christian College class action lawsuit should not be believed, Judge Leiper said she found them to be credible.
Judge Leiper was also unpersuaded by the school’s arguments that corporal punishment was standard during the timeframe covered by the Grenville Christian College class action lawsuit, noting that there was evidence the school continued using corporal punishment decades after a provincial report determined it should be abolished in schools.
Class Members of the Grenville Christian College lawsuit include residential students who attended the boarding school at any time between 1973 and 1997.
The Grenville Christian College class action lawsuit will be sent back to the case management judge to determine how much money Class Members will be entitled to receive.
Do you think the former students in the Grenville Christian College class action lawsuit are entitled to compensation? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below!
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The plaintiffs are represented by Loretta Merritt of Torkin Manes LLP, Sabrina Lombardi of McKenzie Lake Lawyers, and Christopher Haber of Haber Lawyers.
The Grenville Christian College Class Action Lawsuit is Lisa Cavanaugh, et al. v. Grenville Christian College, et al., Case No. CV-08-347100CP, in the Superior Court of Justice Ontario, Canada.
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One thought on Grenville Christian College Students Win Class Action Lawsuit Against Defunct School
As a former student of GCC from 1980 to 1984 I am thrilled that this has been brought to light. Some of worst experiences of my life happened while I was a student there and those memories haunt me to this day.