The hundreds of victims of sexual abuse by the Clercs de Saint-Viateur will soon obtain justice. A compensation of 28 million dollars should be paid to them by the religious congregation for abuses that date back to the 1950s.
The legal action initiated in 2017 by the victims of sexual acts by the Clercs of Saint-Viateur will soon end. The firm representing the plaintiffs has announced that an agreement has been reached between the two parties. On February 17, this settlement agreement must be approved by the Superior Court. Everything indicates that this agreement will be validated by the court, assures the lawyer for the victims, Mr. Justin Wee.
If the agreement is accepted, the Clercs de Saint-Viateur will have to pay 28 million dollars to more than 375 people.
“You can’t imagine how happy all of these victims are that we’re nearing the end of the legal process, portrayed in Duty Mᵉ Wee. In this case, I met more than 200 victims, me alone. These are sometimes victims who are over 60 years old. I have the memory of a victim who said to me: “You know, there are two people who know that I was assaulted. My attacker and you.” These people managed to overcome extraordinary hardships, to break the silence with courage. »
Former Superior Court judge Claude Champagne was appointed by both parties to arbitrate the end of the dispute. He is responsible for evaluating the victims’ files one by one to determine the amount to be allocated to each of them. This procedure will allow victims not to appear in Court and thus avoid the inconvenience associated with it.
It should be noted that this appeal does not only target the Clercs de Saint-Viateur, but all the educational establishments, residences or summer camps run by them. This includes, in particular, Collège Bourget in Rigaud, the Charlesbourg Institute for the Deaf in Quebec City and Camp Ozanam in Outaouais.
All persons who have suffered abuse by the Clercs de Saint-Viateur and who are not yet part of the class action should contact the firm Arsenault Dufresne Wee Avocats quickly, because once a certain period has passed, there will no longer be any possible to join the legal proceedings and claim compensation. Registration is free and confidential.
The lawyer representing the Clercs de Saint-Viateur, Mᵉ François-David Paré, declined our request for an interview, preferring to wait for the approval of said settlement. The religious congregation is “satisfied with the agreement reached,” he briefly told the Duty.
Mᵉ Wee’s firm represents more than 1,200 alleged victims in other class actions that target several religious organizations. Mᵉ Justin Wee hopes that this settlement will encourage the various officials to recognize their wrongs. “These religious congregations and these dioceses have the pope as their spiritual superior, who has repeated many times that the concern for victims, that the rights of victims should be at the heart of the discussions. It is hoped that these other religious organizations will follow suit. »