The Superior Court on Thursday authorized a class action against the Sisters of Charity for alleged sexual abuse and abuse.
• Read also: 282 victims identified against Mont d’Youville
According to the authorized request for collective action, more than 280 people were victims of sexual, physical and psychological abuse by 71 abusers, including 55 nuns of the Sisters of Charity.
The alleged attacks allegedly occurred between 1925 and 1996, that is to say over a period of more than 70 years. The applicants denounce “a culture of silence stemming from directives from the Holy See”.
Thus, still according to the principal plaintiff Denis Leclerc, the Sisters of Charity would have chosen to “actively support aggressors to avoid any scandal that could tarnish their reputation”.
The victims’ group is asking for $ 2 million in damages and to compensate for the pain and suffering resulting from the abuse. Mont d’Youville was an orphanage located in Beauport.
The question of the direct fault of the defendants “constitutes the stake at the heart of the request for authorization”, according to the preliminary discussions held between the various parties, it is indicated.
The group is defined as comprising “any person [ayant été victime] sexual, physical and psychological abuse by workers at Mont d’Youville ”.
More details to come …
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