$15M settlement in class-action lawsuits against Longueuil, St-Hyacinthe dioceses

A Quebec law firm has announced a $15-million settlement over historic sexual abuse involving two Montreal-area dioceses.

Law firm Arsenault Dufresne Wee says agreements have been reached with the dioceses representing the Montreal suburb of Longueuil and St-Hyacinthe, Que., about 50 kilometres east of Montreal.

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It says the Longueuil diocese has agreed to pay victims $6.48 million; the St-Hyacinthe diocese will pay more than $8.9 million.

Arsenault Dufresne Wee says that once legal fees and other costs are factored in the victims should be compensated quickly.

Settlement hearings will be held in September in Longueuil and St-Hyacinthe to determine whether they are approved by the court.

The class actions were filed against the diocese of Longueuil in 2019 and the diocese of St-Hyacinthe in 2021 and so far include a total of 70 victims in Quebec.