The family of little Maélie, who was killed by her mother in 2020, is suing the DPJ for more than $3 million: they accuse it of not having protected the child despite several reports.
The child was only six years old when she died on July 23, 2020, after being stabbed with around 80 stab wounds.
Her mother, Stéphanie Brossoit, had used several drugs before attacking her daughter. She had previously consumed several drugs that day including methamphetamine, GHB and an entire cannabis cake. When she wakes up, in the middle of the night, she “thinks that she must stab the child to save her”, we can read in the action.
The mother pleaded guilty in March to manslaughter, under an agreement between the Crown and the defence. She received a 10-year prison sentence.
The father — who only had custody of Maélie on weekends — her half-sister and her paternal grandmother filed this action against the CIUSSS du Centre-sud-de-l’Ile-de-Montréal, which is responsible for the DPJ of this sector of the metropolis.
The child had also been reported four times to the DPJ between April 2019 and April 2020 “for a serious risk of neglect, for psychological mistreatment and for neglect on an educational level as well as on a physical level”, all in link to the mother’s mental health problems and her drug use, it is alleged in the action drafted by the family’s lawyer, Ms.e Valérie Assouline.
Despite four reports to the DPJ, its stakeholders did not act and took no measures to put Maélie safe, we can read.
A system that has failed in its mission?
Maélie’s half-sister, still a teenager, herself notified the DPJ of problems, reporting in particular a whole weekend during which their mother celebrated by consuming a large quantity of alcohol in front of her daughters, is- he writes.
Despite this denunciation, the DPJ believes the mother who claims to no longer consume. While she agrees to take drug tests, no steps are taken to follow up. The DPJ also does not question her about the damaged door of her home, which was broken down by the police when she tried to take her life by ingesting medication. Another criticism: the father is also not informed of all facts reported to youth protection.
“By relying once again solely on the information that the mother, the person potentially responsible for the compromise, was willing to disclose, the participants acted in contravention of the rules of the art linked to their profession, behavior which resulted in disastrous results,” reads the action.
The DPJ is at fault for not having protected the child, it is alleged in the legal request, which even alleges “gross negligence”.
Its employees did not adequately assess the risk to the little girl, nor investigated it properly and, worse, failed to act. In particular, they failed to meet individually with her half-sister and did not take into account the mother’s mental health problems in their assessment of the situation. Maélie, aged 5 when first reported, was particularly vulnerable given her age. And since she did not attend daycare, she did not have this safety net around her, a factor that the DPJ workers should have considered, the family criticizes.
“The Applicants were victims of a system whose numerous actors failed in their main mission, which was to ensure the protection of the child. »
For all these faults, the family members are claiming 2.5 million in compensatory damages for the pain and suffering linked to the tragic death of the little girl and one million in punitive damages.