The Montréal Superior Court has authorized a class-action lawsuit against a global religious organization for alleged sexual assaults believed to have taken place over more than 80 years.
One of the alleged victims, known only as A.B., will represent all complainants making sexual assault allegations in Québec by any employee or member of the Brothers of Charity between January 1940 and today.
Justin Wee from the Montréal-based law firm Arsenault Dufresne Wee Avocats, who spearheaded the suit, says the victims could number in the hundreds.
The Brothers of Charity has been very involved in primary and secondary education in Québec over the past century. The organization founded several schools in the province, including Mont-Saint-Antoine in Montréal and Collège Saint-Bernard in Drummondville.
The law firm says a dozen people have been accused, while more than a dozen alleged victims have already registered for the class action.
The hearing took place in December, and Judge Pierre Nollet authorized the lawsuit on Jan. 24.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 4, 2023
