Estimated Lost Income Potential for Orphanage Boys in Millions
By Barb Sweet
The combined potential lost income for three John Does because of the possible effect on their lives from their Mount Cashel experiences might have hit as high as $6 million. The figures given for the three men differ because one man is retired from the military, another is a retired teacher and the third had a career affected by alcohol use. There is a publication ban on the men’s identities. But that $6-million figure is a sum total based on testimony Thursday in the Mount Cashel civil trial. Calgary forensic economist Cara Brown was called to testify by Paul Kennedy, one of the lawyers for four John Does who claim the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corp. of St. John’s should be held liable for physical and sexual abuse they say they suffered at the hands of certain members of the lay order Irish Christian Brothers during the late 1940s to early 1960s. The church contends it did not oversee the orphanage. Many complicated factors go into the potential lost-income calculations — earnings statistics, interest rates and reports from forensic psychologist Alan M. Goldstein on the men being some of the information used. Brown explained the bottom-line figures are based on various scenarios of the men’s potential earnings if they had no impairment, due to alleged impact of their experiences. Lawyer Chris Blom in cross-examination noted Brown was not there to say that’s what the men would have earned if they had not been abused, and she agreed that’s not her expertise. The figures only come into possible play if the John Does win their case against the church, because the Christian Brothers are bankrupt and are no longer defendants. For the retired military man, the possibilities included earning a university degree or getting a higher rank in the military. For the teacher, scenarios included earning a PhD and/or going into school administration. Brown’s figures show a wide contrast and she gave evidence on each man individually. But adding up the three men’s potential lost income, the lower end of the scale is close to $3 million combined. Because all the men are in their 70s, there’s also hundreds of thousands of potential lost pension earnings based on the higher incomes. Blom challenged the reports, asking Brown if she knew, in the case of one John Doe, he was unable to adapt to new technology in his field. She said she was not aware of that. In the case of the retired military man, Brown acknowledged to Blom that she had not asked for, nor seen, evidence from superior officers on whether alcohol or getting in trouble changed his chances for a higher rank. And for the teacher who did not get a PhD, Blom noted that other factors such as finances, time and the need to go away to study may have impacted his decision to not pursue it. And for all three, Blom pointed out, the findings of psychological reports from the church’s forensic experts weren’t factored in, just Goldstein’s. Also Thursday, former Catholic Education Council official Bonaventure Fagan testified about hiring practices. Called to testify by Emma Nicholl, who represents the church, Fagan — who has nothing to do with Mount Cashel — said under the old denominational educational system, boards did hire outside their religion. But when questioned by the John Does’ lawyer, Geoff Budden, Fagan agreed it was not the norm. This is relevant to the case of the teacher, who worked at a school associated with the Christian Brothers despite his experiences at the orphanage. Follow Barb Sweet’s live Twitter feed @bsweettweets Contact: bsweet@thetelegram.com
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