Clerics of Saint-Viateur Class Action Lawsuit Overview:
- Who: Clerics of Saint-Viateur will reportedly pay $28 million to settle a class action lawsuit with alleged sexual assault victims.
- Why: More than 375 alleged victims of sexual assault by members and employees Clerics of Saint Viateur have joined the class action lawsuit.
- Where: The sexual assault allegedly took place in at least 20 institutions over a period of time that spans decades.
A proposed $28 million settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit involving allegations of sexual assault by members and employees of Clerics of Saint-Viateur, a Catholic teaching order.
The Clerics of Saint-Viateur class action lawsuit was filed on Nov. 14, 2017, on behalf of hundreds of alleged sexual assault victims. The sexual assault class action lawsuit now includes more than 375 alleged victims.
Justin Wee of Arsenault Dufresne Wee is representing the victims in the Clerics of Saint-Viateur class action lawsuit. He reportedly told CTV News that the sexual abuse was allowed to occur due to a culture of silence within the organization.
“I know, in this Collège Bourget, for instance, there is a teacher who abused 50, 60 young boys and that was possible because everybody wanted to keep the silence,” Wee said.
The Superior Court granted the Clerics of Saint-Viateur class action lawsuit on April 25, 2019. Most of the alleged acts of sexual abuse occurred at Collège Bourget de Rigaud, but the sex abuse also allegedly took place at more than 20 other institutions.
The Clerics of Saint-Viateur class action lawsuit includes allegations of sexual abuse that occurred as far back as the 1930s.
After a hearing is held next month, members of the sex abuse class action lawsuit will reportedly present a claim in confidence before a former judge who was appointed as arbitrator for the case.
Elderly Saint-Viateur Members Arrested Over Sex Abuse Claims
Fifteen men made criminal complaints of sexual abuse against five elderly members. They are facing more than 30 charges over allegations of gross indecency, indecent assault and sexual assault.
The crimes allegedly occurred from 1961 to 1989 while the men worked as educators in religious educational institutions in the Montérégie, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Gaspé and Laurentians regions.
All 15 accusers allege they were minors when they were assaulted. Even though the alleged incidents of sexual assault occurred decades ago, the accusers did not file criminal complaints until recent years.
After the arrests were made, Wee says his law office received dozens of calls regarding complaints about Clerics of Saint-Viateur members.
“We as a society are proving that we are able to listen to the victims, which wasn’t the case 20 years ago,” Wee said.
Do you think the Clerics of Saint-Viateur class action settlement is a fair deal for the alleged sexual assault victims? Join the discussion in the comments below.
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