Holy Cross Sex Abuse Victims Denounce Slow Settlement

By Shuyee Leeslee
CJAD
March 5, 2013

http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10513033

While the compensation case in the Holy Cross sexual abuse class-action lawsuit continues at the Montreal courthouse, victims are saying the proceedings are going too slowly for them.

The Holy Cross Congregation says it's settled half of the 223 claims in a class-action lawsuit as part of compensation for sexual abuse, totalling almost $5 million to date. The congregation has said they've set up an $18-million fund for the victims.

But victims say that at the rate they're going, they fear the dwindling fund will mean diminished compensation cheques that will only go out once all the claims are settled. Victims say they find that unacceptable, nearly two years after an out-of-court settlement was reached.

One of the lawyers, Gilles Gareau said the process is making the victims unnecessarily relive their nightmares.

"Simple Christian charity would be to stop screwing around with these adjudications which are redundant," Gareau told CJAD 800 News.

Two months ago, the Holy Cross Congregation asked for six more months to go through all the applications. The case is back in court in June.

"Hopefully, I think we will be in a position to finalize the process shortly," said Eric Simard, lawyer for the congregation.

The class-action lawsuit stems from sexual abuse suffered by boys at the hands of priests during a 51-year period beginning in 1950 at Montreal's College Notre-Dame and other schools.