BC Catholic Dioceses Institutional Abuse Lawyers

Addressing Your Abuse at a British Columbia Catholic School

The Roman Catholic Church is active around the province of British Columbia and provides social services of many kinds, from healthcare to education, through a list of agencies and organizations.

The Catholic Church has attracted great notoriety in recent decades due to the volume of people coming forward who were abused by priests, nuns, and other ordained and lay staff against people placed under their charge, especially minors.

If someone connected to the church abused you emotionally, physically, or sexually in an institutional context, such as at a Catholic-affiliated school, you have legal options available to help you heal and compensation for your losses.

Our team of legal professionals can answer any questions you may have about institutional abuse claims. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing clients with sexual abuse cases. We are ready to listen to your story and assist you in a respectful, trauma-informed manner. We can also help you access resources along the way.

Could I make a claim if I was abused at a B.C. Catholic school?

Regardless of which organization contributed to your institutional abuse, we can assist you in determining the appropriate defendant (or defendants) and holding them accountable. In general, legal claims are made against the school board responsible for the school that you attended and the catholic diocese responsible for overseeing the school.

British Columbia is divided into five dioceses, of which the largest and most powerful is Vancouver (being an archdiocese headed by an archbishop who nominally supervises the ordinary bishops heading each diocese). The other B.C. dioceses are Kamloops, Nelson, Prince George, and Victoria, each named after a major community within its jurisdiction. Although the Vancouver archdiocese has nominal authority over the others, the other dioceses and their leadership are in practice largely independent.

The northern portion of B.C., above the 57th parallel of latitude, is assigned to a sixth diocese, Whitehorse, which also covers the Yukon.

The province’s five Catholic dioceses own and operate educational facilities, including schools. Rather than operating them directly, the authority to run the schools is vested in several independent school organizations, each with their own leadership structure:

• Catholic Independent Schools of Vancouver Archdiocese
• Catholic Independent Schools of Kamloops Diocese
• Catholic Independent Schools of Nelson Diocese
• Catholic Independent Schools of Prince George Diocese
• Catholic Independent Schools of Victoria Diocese

These schools are not “independent” in the sense of being outside the control of the diocese. Instead, they are outside the administration of the government and public-school systems. The bishop of each diocese is the ultimate authority for educational decisions made within it.

The schools teach the full range of elementary and secondary education in British Columbia, from kindergarten up to Grade 12.

Aside from the schools under the direct authority of these boards, there are also some Roman Catholic schools in British Columbia that are “non-diocesan”. Non-diocesan schools are still Catholic schools but are not managed directly by the diocese in the same way. Some examples are Little Flower Academy, Vancouver College, and St. Thomas More Collegiate in Vancouver. These schools are governed separately from the “diocesan” ones but are also subject to the bishop’s authority in accordance with “canon law”, which is the Catholic Church’s internal set of laws, rules and regulations.

What kinds of compensation would you seek for my institutional abuse claim?

The main categories of damages in institutional abuse cases are “pecuniary” and “non-pecuniary”.

Pecuniary damages are made up of concrete, easier-to-calculate losses caused by your abuse. They could include but are not limited to:

• Medical treatment and counselling costs
• Lost income, both past and future

Meanwhile, non-pecuniary damages compensate you for losses that are not easy to calculate with math. Regardless, these losses may have taken a great toll on you. Some examples are:

• Pain and suffering
• Loss of enjoyment of life and dignity
• Loss of amenity (the impact your abuse has on your social life and relationships)
• Loss of income-earning capacity

Your settlement will be determined by the specifics of your case and how your life was impacted. Our lawyers can examine how abuse has affected your life in every respect and demand a fair settlement, generally without the need for a trial.

Common experiences of institutional abuse survivors

Every survivor and his or her abuse is unique. However, they often share certain characteristics and experiences, which you may recognize. These can include but are not limited to:

• Emotional challenges, such as feelings of anger, depression, shame, and not being worthy
• Difficulty with building relationships and trusting others
• Impacts on your mental and physical health
• Challenges with drug or alcohol use
• Struggles in maintaining stable employment
• Bouncing around from job to job
• Not being able to finish education, either high school or college/university
• Trouble with your sex life
• Sleep problems
• Problems with panic attacks, nightmares or flashbacks
• Working jobs that are more entry-level, more dangerous, or more physical than you otherwise would
• Vulnerability to other health conditions, including chronic pain and autoimmune disorders
• Vulnerability to being in abusive relationships or being abused by other people in your childhood
• Distrust of authority figures
• Blaming yourself for the abuse you suffered

We want to emphasize that you are in no way responsible for causing the harm done to you. The perpetrator and the people who should have prevented it are. The struggles you face as a result of the abuse are not your fault, either. Understanding your abuse and its effects on your life may be a long and difficult journey but we are ready to help you navigate it and pursue fair compensation.

Is it too late to seek justice?

There is no statute of limitations for claims based on sexual abuse or assault of a minor in British Columbia. This was not the case in the past but changed in the early 2000s in recognition of the fact that survivors often cannot come forward right away. The reality is, few people report institutional abuse when it happens. It often takes years or usually decades for survivors to be able to come forward and tell their story.

As well, eliminating the statute of limitations acknowledged the unique challenges of minors who have endured sexual abuse. The majority of institutional abuse clients that our lawyers at Preszler Injury Lawyers represent were abused as children but do not retain us until they are 50 years old or older. It is very common for people who were abused when they were underage to avoid taking legal action because of the difficult feelings and memories the process can bring up, to say nothing of the doubts they might have faced when they tried to come forward in the past.

If you were told in the past that it was too late to make a claim but wish to do so now, you have that right. A qualified institutional abuse lawyer from our firm can guide you on your journey towards justice.

If you do not yet feel ready to seek a legal resolution to your past trauma and abuse today, you can step back and concentrate on your healing, knowing that the system will be available should you eventually wish to come forward provided the case is not included in a class action.

Is this a class action?

No. We will treat you as an individual client as opposed to part of a category of people. We only file claims on an individual basis. Our firm and its lawyers assert that every survivor’s abuse is different, as are the consequences of it, and survivors deserve to share their own story on their own terms and be in full control.

Although class actions may be advantageous in resolving many claims at once, this advantage tends to benefit defendants and can flatten the experiences of members of the plaintiff class. As well, in our experience, compensation awarded to plaintiffs in class actions is usually much, much less than what is awarded to plaintiffs who seek damages as individuals. The survivors in class actions also do not have full control over the litigation and if the class action fails, their case would fail as well. We believe that control is an important answer to trauma and we seek to give our clients control at every step, which is not allowed in class actions.

Call us about your past sexual, physical, or emotional abuse at a B.C. Catholic school

Institutional abuse may leave a mark on victims that will last for a lifetime, even long after any physical wounds have healed.

Please call our lawyers toll-free at 1-844-373-8202 or you can get in contact with us online if you were abused at a B.C. Catholic school to discuss your legal options in detail. We are available to take your call at any time and the consultation is always free.

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