On March 27, 2026, our firm filed an application for authorization to institute a class action against the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Gatineau and the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of Ottawa. This request seeks redress for sexual assaults committed by members of the clergy or other persons under the authority of the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Gatineau.
Our customers’ stories
Our clients were both sexually abused by a member of the clergy when they were minors.
Our first client was sexually abused at the age of ten at the hands of Father Édouard Townsend, while our client was a mass server at the church of Saint-François-de-Sales around 1977. After a particularly serious attack, the events were denounced to the Archdiocese. However, despite the denunciation, no action was taken by the archdiocese to stop Father Townsend from being in contact with children and Father Townsend committed other assaults in the future.
Our second client was sexually assaulted by Father Marcel Massie in 1967 in the municipality of Plaisance, when he was fourteen years old.
Our clients have suffered several after-effects as a result of the sexual assaults and have decided to bring this class action in order to obtain compensation not only for themselves, but also for all other victims of sexual assault.
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 Gatineau 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 Archbishop of Gatineau and the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of Ottawa for their own negligence. 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 proposed class
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 Gatineau and/or The Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of Ottawa, until the judgment is rendered.
Territory of the Diocese of Baie-Comeau
The Archdiocese of Gatineau covers the Outaouais region, including the cities of Gatineau, Maniwaki, Papineauville and Chelsea.
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.
Please feel free to fill out this form confidentially if you believe you are a member of this class action.