Sexual Abuse Victims Reach Landmark $20-million Settlement with Quebec Religious Group
By Geoffrey Vendeville
Victims of sexual abuse at the hands of Redemptorist priests at the St-Alphonse Seminary in Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre, east of Quebec City, have reached a $20-million out-of-court settlement with the Catholic order. "It's a landmark settlement," said Robert Kugler, the lawyer representing victims in a class-action lawsuit. "It's the most that has ever been paid in the settlement of a sexual-abuse class action in the history of Quebec." The agreement will be submitted to a judge within 30 days for final approval. On July 10, Quebec Superior Court Judge Claude Bouchard awarded the victims between $75,000 and $150,000 each in compensation. The parties reached the settlement at the last minute before the deadline to appeal the decision expired the afternoon of Aug. 11. Kugler was only able to reveal the sum of money included in the agreement after meeting with a judge Tuesday morning. A former student of the seminary, Frank Tremblay, launched the class-action lawsuit in April 2010 against a former teacher at the seminary, Raymond-Marie Lavoie, as well as the College St-Alphonse and the Redemptorists congregation. At least 70 boys had been molested at the private boarding school, formerly known as the St-Alphonse Seminary, when they were between 12 and 16. Lavoie previously pleaded guilty to 18 charges related to the abuse of 13 minors. The students belonged to families of all backgrounds, but many were of modest means and came from the Charlevoix region, the decision said. Most of the students lived in dormitories of about 60 beds. The Superior Court ruling was based mainly on the testimonies of victims, many of whom have since suffered from extreme anxiety, depression and addiction. Since the settlement, 12 to 15 more victims have come forward, Kugler said. He added that the $20 million in compensation is nearly all the money the Redemptorists have, according to their most recent financial statement. "The leaders (of the Redemptorists) are relieved that this whole matter is almost over," said Pierre L. Baribeau, their defence lawyer. "They were not involved at all during the time of the abuse. "It's a burden to see your reputation tarnished by people you thought you knew who committed some terrible abuse." The Redemptorists had offered to settle in late August 2013, before the suit went to trial, but their proposal was rejected. Baribeau is not allowed to disclose the details of the earlier settlement proposal, but said it was a "very generous offer." However, for Carlo Tarini, spokesperson of the Association for Victims of Priests, "there isn't a cheque with enough zeros on it to compensate someone whose life has been wrecked by sexual abuse as a child." The settlement may go some way to relieving the suffering of victims by helping them pay for therapy, he said. The association has urged Justice Minister Stephanie Vallee to extend the statute of limitations for sexual abuse. The time limit to sue for damages resulting from sexual abuse was prolonged in 2013 from three years to 30. However, the new law doesn't apply retroactively, making Quebec a "paradise for pedophile priests," Tarini said. Tremblay, the class representative in the Redemptorist lawsuit, was allowed to sue despite the statute of limitations by proving that he and other students were under psychological duress and were unable to act earlier. Contact: gvendeville@montrealgazette.com
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