Diocese of Saint-Hyacinthe sex abuse class action overview:
- Who: A Superior Court judge has given the green light to a class action lawsuit regarding alleged sexual abuse within the Diocese of Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec
- Why: Eight people have come forward alleging they were abused in the church
- Where: Quebec
A Superior Court judge has given the green light to a class action lawsuit alleging sex abuse in the Diocese of Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec.
On June 9, Judge Chantal Corriveau authorized the class action against the diocese, Crux Now reports.
The certified Class includes “all persons, as well as their heirs and assigns, who were sexually assaulted by a member of the clergy, an employee or a volunteer, lay or religious, who was under his responsibility” or that of the bishops who directed him “during the period between Jan. 1, 1940, and the judgment to be rendered.”
As of June 10, eight victims had already signed up for the class action, according to lawyers from Arsenault Dufresne Wee Avocats.
All of the incidents of sexual abuse took place in a rectory or a parish church under the jurisdiction of the diocese, and all of them occurred before 1975, more than 45 years ago.
In a press release from Arsenault Dufresne Wee Avocats announcing the authorization of the class action lawsuit, the law firm detailed some of the allegations.
It said, when a victim wanted to denounce the assaults in 1975, coming forward against a well-known priest in the diocese, he was told “that the diocese needed priests.”
The authorization of a class action marks the beginning of the judicial process, and the class action is currently set to go to trial.
Priest sexual assault class action lawsuits multiply
Priest sexual assault class action lawsuits have been on Canada’s media radar almost nonstop for months now. Most recently, a group of men have come forward alleging Anglican priest Gordon Dominey sexually assaulted them in the 1980s, when they were teen inmates at an Edmonton youth jail.
Ther news comes amid a recent explosion of sexual assault class action lawsuits across Canada against various Archdiocese and churches. The most recent class actions have been launched in Nova Scotia, where a class action lawsuit over priest sexual abuse was certified, Newfoundland, Quebec and British Columbia.
For example, the British Columbia class action lawsuit targets the Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver, accusing it of covering up decades of systemic abuse and silencing survivors.
If you or a loved one was sexually abused or assaulted at church, school or daycare or while participating in a youth program, you may be able to participate in a lawsuit investigation.
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