Victims of sexual assault/City of Westmount
The case
On June 5th 2015, Benedict Matthew Bissonnette filed a Motion seeking authorization to institute a class action against the City of Westmount.
The class action seeks to compensate every person who suffered damages following the sexual abuse committed by John Garland, former Superintendent of the Department of Parks and Recreation of the City of Westmount.
The motion alleges the liability of the City of Westmount as employer of John Garland, who at all times relevant to the present action was aware, or should have been aware of the acts committed by Garland. The City of Westmount is therefore liable for the damages caused by the fault of one of its employees in the performance of his duties.
Are you a class member?
Please note that all communications with our office are protected by solicitor-client privilege and will remain confidential. Furthermore, under no circumstances will your identity or your story be disclosed on the Court record.
The class is defined as follows:
All persons who, from 1953 to 1987, were sexually abused by John Garland while participating in the sports or recreation programs offered by the City of Westmount;
The settlement
We are happy to announce that a Settlement has been reached with the City of Westmount. The Settlement aims to compensate John Garland’s victims.
On May 12, 2017, Justice De Wever of the Superior Court of Québec approved the Settlement. You can consult his judgement here. All class members should consult the official notice of this approval: you can consult this Notice here.
The claim period ended on September 11, 2017. Only the memorial project in the settlement agreement remains to be finalized.
A toll-free information helpline exists for sexual assault victims of all ages. The service provides free, bilingual and confidential support and guidance, and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, throughout Québec, at a toll-free number: 1 888 933-9007 or 514 933-9007 for the Montreal region.