CANADA
The Telegram
Lawyers for four John Does have asked the Supreme Court of Newfoundland for damages of nearly $8 million for abuse suffered at the hands of certain Christian Brothers at Mount Cashel.
The four test-case John Does say the church, through the Episcopal Corp., should be held liable for physical and sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of certain members of the lay order of Irish Christian Brothers. The Does — all orphanage residents several decades ago — represent about 60 clients who were at the orphanage during the late 1940s to early 1960s.
The amounts for the other 60 claimants who could be affected by the outcome of this trial will be determined in the future based on whether the four John Does win their cases.
The church insists the lay order Irish Christian Brothers ran the orphanage and were independent of the archdiocese.
The trial, during many of its 31 non-consecutive days this year, contained disturbing testimony concerning the experiences of the four John Does at the orphanage several decades ago, as well as personal details of their lives since then and various expert opinions on child sex abuse and its impacts.
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