The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec has no intention of
compensating a Quebec City woman who took them to court for being raped
by a priest in the 1980s.
Last week, Shirley Christensen, 37, gave the archdiocese an ultimatum
– either offer her compensation for her abuse or see her in court.
But in a letter to Christensen on Friday, auxiliary bishop Gerald Lacroix refused her request for a settlement.
Christensen applied to sue the Quebec Archdiocese in 2007.
She was
seeking $250,000 in damages for sexual abuse she suffered at the hands
of Paul-Henri Lachance between 1979 and 1981.
Lachance, now 79, pleaded guilty in 2009 and was handed an 18-month sentence.
Quebec Superior Court and the Quebec Court of Appeals dismissed the
lawsuit because of an article in the Quebec Civil Code that places a
three-year statute of limitations on civil lawsuits.
The case finally ended up in Canada’s top court, which tabled a judgement in October.
The Supreme Court didn’t strike down the statute of limitations on
Quebec lawsuits but it told the lower courts to hear the case and
consider whether the time limit on this lawsuit should have started in
2006.
In her court filings, Christensen claims to have suffered trauma in 2006 that triggered the memories of the sex abuse.
In a statement, Christensen said she still hopes to meet with Lacroix to explore the possibility of a settlement agreement.
SIC: SUNT/INT'L