On June 13, 2024, our firm filed an application for authorization to institute a class action against the Roman Catholic Archiepiscopal Corporation of Saint-Germain-de-Rimouski, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Saint-Germain de Rimouski and the Corporation du Séminaire de Saint-Germain de Rimouski. This request seeks compensation for sexual assaults committed by members of the clergy or other persons under the authority of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Rimouski.
Our client’s story
Around 1970, when he was 13 years old, our client was an altar boy in a church in Matane, where he helped serve Mass. The priest Béatrix Morin, who held the position of vicar, took advantage of his authority over the applicant to sexually assault him for several months.
Béatrix Morin, who later became an abbot, committed other sexual assaults between 1970 and 1990. In 2021, he pleaded guilty to several criminal counts of sexual assault and indecent assault.
Our client has suffered several consequences as a result of the sexual assaults and has decided to bring this class action so that all victims of sexual assault can obtain compensation.
The proposed class action
In accordance with the
Civil Code of Québec
, the principal or employer is required to compensate for the injury caused by the fault of its servant or employee when the fault is committed in the performance of the employee’s or employee’s duties. We are therefore prosecuting the legal persons responsible for the activities of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Rimouski for sexual assaults committed by members of the clergy or other persons under their authority in the course of the Church’s activities.
We are also suing the Roman Catholic Archiepiscopal Corporation of Saint-Germain-de-Rimouski, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Saint-Germain de Rimouski and the Corporation of the Seminary of Saint-Germain de Rimouski for their own faults. Indeed, we maintain that they have not taken the necessary measures to prevent or put an end to sexual abuse and that they have therefore engaged their responsibility.
We are seeking compensatory damages to compensate victims for the harms caused by sexual assault. We are also seeking punitive damages to sanction the intentional violation of the rights to safety, integrity and dignity of victims of sexual assault, rights that are protected by
the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms
.
The target group
All persons, as well as their heirs and assigns, who have been sexually assaulted by a member of the clergy, an employee or a volunteer, lay or religious, under the responsibility of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Saint-Germain de Rimouski or the Roman Catholic Archiepiscopal Corporation of Saint-Germain de Rimouski who has exercised their authority over the Diocese of Rimouski, during the period between February 9, 1946 and the judgment to be delivered.
Territory of the Diocese of Rimouski
The Diocese of Rimouski includes all of the following main cities:
- Albertville
- Amqui
- Auclair
- Baie-des-Sables
- Biencourt
- Cacouna
- Capuchin
- Causapscal
- Dégelis
- Holy Spirit
- Grosses-Roches
- Lac-au-Saumon
- Lac-des-Aigles
- Lac-Humqui
- Ladrière
- The Redemption
- The Assumption of Patapédia
- La Trinité-de-Monts
- Lejeune
- The Heights
- The Mechins
- L’Isle-Verte
- Batch-Reversed
- Matane
- Matapedia
- Métis-sur-Mer
- Mont-Joli
- Packington
- Padua
- Price
- Rimouski
- Saint-Adelme
- Saint-Alexandre-des-Lacs
- Saint-Alexis-de-Matapédia
- St. Anaclet
- Saint-Angèle-de-Merci
- Saint-Arsène
- Saint-Charles-Garnier
- Saint-Clément
- Saint-Cléophas
- Saint-Cyprien
- Saint-Damase-de-Matapédia
- Saint-Donat
- Saint-Éloi
- Saint-Elzéar-de-Témiscouata
- Saint-Eusèbe
- St Fabien
- Sainte-Félicité
- Sainte-Flavie
- Sainte-Florence
- Saint-François-d’Assise
- Saint-Hubert-Rivière-du-Loup
- Sainte-Françoise
- Saint-Gabriel-de-Rimouski
- Saint-Irène-de-Matapédia
- Saint-Jean-de-Dieu
- Saint-Jean-de-la-Lande
- Sainte-Jeanne-d’Arc-de-Matane
- Saint-Juste-du-Lac
- Saint-Léandre
- Saint-Léon-le-Grand
- Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!
- Sainte-Luce
- Sainte-Marguerite-Marie
- Saint-Mathieu-de-Rioux
- Saint-Médard
- Saint-Modeste
- Saint-Moïse
- Saint-Narcisse-de-Rimouski
- Santa Claus
- Saint-Octave
- Saint-Paul-de-la-Croix
- St. Paul’s
- Saint-René-de-Matane
- Sainte-Rita
- Saint-Simon-de-Rimouski
- St. Tharsicius
- Saint-Ulric
- Saint-Valérien-de-Rimouski
- Saint-Vianney
- Sayabec
- Squatec
- Themiscouata-on-the-Lake
- Trois-Pistoles
- Val-Brillant
Applications lodged with the Court
Application for authorization to file a class action
Current status of the file
Awaiting authorization by a judge of the Superior Court.
How to be part of the class action?
If you meet the definition of the group referred to above, you are automatically part of this class action.
We invite you to fill out this following form if you believe you are a member of the group.