A man who says he was groomed and then sexually abused at Vancouver College claims that St. John’s Catholic Diocese shielded and enabled abusers at various institutions, instead of protecting children.

The lead plaintiff says that he attended Vancouver College, a school run by the Christian Brother’s in Canada, between 1980 and 1985. He claims that he was abused by Christian Brothers while there. In addition, his proposed class action lawsuit claims that the organizations that ran Vancouver College and St. Thomas More had transferred known abusers from schools in Newfoundland and allowed them unfettered access to children.

“The abuse at Vancouver College and St. Thomas More continued a pattern of systemic child abuse at institutions run by the Christian Brothers in Canada (CBIC) first revealed at the Mount Cashel Orphanage in Newfoundland in the mid-to-late 1970s,” states the St. John’s Catholic Diocese lawsuit.

If you were sexually assaulted or abused in a religious or academic setting, you may be able to join a class action lawsuit investigation. A lawyer will review your case for free and, if you qualify, let you know if an individual lawsuit or class action lawsuit is best for you.

St. John’s Catholic Diocese Enabled Sexual Abusers, Lawsuit Asserts

The proposed class action lawsuit accuses those of running the institutions of shuffling Christian Brothers who allegedly abused students at the orphanage to the schools in British Columbia, despite knowing of the abuse.

“Following incidents of abuse, the CBIC did not act to protect the children in their care, but to protect their abusers from criminal charges by moving them out of Newfoundland to teach at schools owned and operated by the CBIC, including Vancouver College and St. Thomas More,” claims the class action lawsuit. “The transfers were carried out with the knowledge and approval of the Archbishop of St. John’s.”

In addition to St. John’s Catholic diocese, the class action lawsuit names Vancouver College Ltd., St. Thomas More Collegiate Ltd., Edward English, Gerald Gabriel McHugh, John Kavalec, The Roman Catholic Episcopal Corp. of St. John’s, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Vancouver and The Catholic Independent Schools of Vancouver Archdiocese as defendants.

This class action lawsuit comes after Canada’s Supreme Court refused to hear the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corp. of St. John’s appeal in a case filed by plaintiffs alleging horrific abuse at Mount Cashel by the Christian Brothers who ran the orphanage.

The plaintiff in the class action lawsuit lodged against St. John’s Catholic Diocese told reporters that his life would have been different if he had never been abused by the Christian Brothers at Vancouver College. The now recovering drug addict told the Journal Pioneer that he had hoped to become a lawyer and would have attended university.

The proposed class action lawsuit seeks to represent other students who attended Vancouver College or St. Thomas More between 1976 and 1995.

The lead plaintiff and proposed Class Members are represented by Joe Fiorante.   

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