This is an amount never obtained in Quebec for the settlement of a class action. “We are really happy with the outcome,” underlines Me Simon Saint-Gelais, who led the case for the victims.
The case has been going on for six years. The parties had even agreed to hold a giant six-month trial which was to begin in September.
“It’s always too long. I think that, in the circumstances, to avoid a trial, a judgment and possible appeals… it is an excellent result for the victims, who welcome the decision with relief,” notes Me Saint-Gelais.
“It’s difficult for victims to talk about what they experienced, especially in the context of a trial. They are really relieved,” adds the lawyer.
The firm or the victims are not planning a media release for the moment. Everyone involved wants to take time to digest the news.
The class action authorized in August 2020 by Judge Étienne Parent of the Superior Court concerns some 560 former residents who attended the Mont d’Youville orphanage in Beauport over seven decades. They say they suffered physical, psychological and sexual abuse at the hands of 67 nuns from the Sisters of Charity of Quebec and several lay educators.
Over the past six years, several other defendants have been brought into the case: insurance companies, the Attorney General of Quebec, the Center de services scolaire des Premières-Seigneuries and the Archdiocese of Quebec.
The settlement agreement negotiated in the last days must be approved by the Court to be official. A hearing will be scheduled soon.
Me Saint-Gelais predicts that victims should receive the amount of compensation before the end of 2025, if everything goes according to plan.
To the criminal
Three former Mont d’Youville educators are criminally accused of physical and sexual assaults committed on residents.
The settlement of the class action has no impact on this legal process. The cases of Reynald Hamel, John Anthony O’Reilly and Michel Leblanc continue; the three men are scheduled to hold their preliminary investigation next fall.
