New allegations of sexual assault have led to a class action lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Sherbrooke. If it were to be approved, the plaintiffs will have to prove before the Superior Court of Quebec that the Catholic Church failed to take the necessary measures to prevent or put an end to such actions.
The alleged victim, who wishes to represent the group, is an 84-year-old man identified as AB in the court document. He claims to have suffered sexual touching on a regular basis for several years from 1949 on the part of Father Edmond Doran, who worked for the parish of Saint-Isaac-Jogues. At the time, he was 12 years old. He also allegedly caught Father Doran touching his sister.
The plaintiff recounts the numerous sequelae linked to the acts described: nightmares, irritability, anxiety attacks, guilt, shame, sexual dysfunction, feeling of powerlessness and enuresis are only some of the consequences experienced by the octogenarian. He would also have gone through periods of depression and tried to end his life on more than one occasion because of the alleged events.
In compensation, the plaintiff and the other members of the class action are each claiming a total amount of $600,000, including $150,000 in punitive damages.
This would not be Father Doran’s first accusation. The vicar, now deceased, would also be involved in another alleged case of sexual assault on a minor that occurred in the early 1970s, for which the Archdiocese of Sherbrooke is the subject of an individual lawsuit, as reported by some media in 2020.
The law firm Arsenault, Dufresne, Wee, which represents the plaintiff, was unable to specify the number of people who registered for the class action request because new alleged victims continue to join the band.
“It creates a historic opportunity for victims to go to court and have one trial instead of hundreds,” said lawyer Justin Wee in an interview with the To have to. This is why, for us, a class action is the procedural vehicle best suited for this type of case. »
Lifting of the “culture of secrecy”
Me Wee intends to take advantage of the abolition of papal secrecy to support these allegations. This rule prevented until December 2019 the free dissemination by the Church of complaints and various documents related, among other things, to sexual assault.
“It’s really the proof that there was a leaden screed that existed internally, he underlines. What we ask each time of the religious institutions that we pursue, once the authorization has passed, is to have access to these famous files which before were covered by papal secrecy. »
Contacted on this subject, the Archdiocese of Sherbrooke preferred not to comment. “Out of respect for the legal process, we will not be issuing any further comments in connection with this case,” he said by email.
All the facts mentioned at this stage remain only allegations that must first be proven during a possible trial, if a judge agrees to hear this request.
This request comes only two days after a previous class action was authorized against a Catholic institution, this time against the Diocese of Trois-Rivières.