Quebec Archdiocese approves $31.5 million settlement for sexual abuse survivors.
The Archdiocese of Quebec is set to pay $31.5 million to claimants who were sexually abused by priests and other workers connected to the church, following approval of a class-action settlement by a Quebec Superior Court judge. The settlement was approved by Justice Danye Daigle after years of legal action involving allegations that date back all the way to 1940. About 200 people have already joined the lawsuit, while others who say they were abused may still come forward during the claims process.
The case was brought forward by representative plaintiffs Gaétan Bégin and Pierre Bolduc. Both men have said they were sexually abused by parish priests when they were children. Bégin has said the abuse began when he was 14, while Bolduc stated he was 12 when he was first assaulted. Daigle heard testimony from these survivors and others during a public hearing in July before deciding whether the proposed agreement was fair and in the best interests of all claimants. Bégin, now 86, described the decision as an important moment after decades of living with the effects of what happened during his childhood. He has also spoken about the lasting effect the abuse had on his family and the pain that continued long after the abuse itself.
The settlement will create a $31.5 million fund for people whose claims are accepted. The money will come from several organizations named in the case, including the Archdiocese of Quebec, the Séminaire de Québec, Collège François-de-Laval and the Mutual Insurance of Quebec Fabriques. The agreement also requires the organizations involved to pay the costs of running the claims process, including fees for the people who reviewed the claims, medical records and expert reports.
Anyone who has been abused but has not yet joined the class-action lawsuit will have up to 90 days to submit a claim, according to the law firm representing the class. Each claim will describe the alleged abuse and the effect it had on the person’s life. Two retired judges will review the claims and decide how much money each approved claimant will receive. The amount will not necessarily be the same for everyone, as the individual claims and the effects described in them will be considered during the review. Those whose claims are accepted will also receive a written apology from the Archdiocese of Quebec.
Lawyer Justin Wee has described the settlement as one of the largest agreements involving a Catholic diocese in Quebec. The case covers allegations involving church personnel over many decades, making the legal action one of the more significant cases involving the archdiocese, and officials said they hope the next stage of the process will provide survivors with an opportunity for some closure even those the settlement does not erase the experiences described by survivors. The claims process will now determine which applicants qualify for compensation and how much each will receive. For survivors who have spent years seeking recognition for abuse they say occurred during childhood, the court’s decision allows their experiences to be recognized and hopefully provides some sense of closure moving forward.
Sources:
Archdiocese of Quebec to pay out $31.5M to sexual abuse victims after judge approves settlement
Judge approves $31.5M settlement in sexual assault case against Quebec archdiocese
