CourtSupreme Court of British Columbia, Vancouver Registry
Date FiledFebruary 8, 2021
Nature of Action
This is a class action lawsuit alleging that students who attended Vancouver College between 1976 and 2013 and St. Thomas More Collegiate between 1976 and 1989 experienced physical, psychological, and sexual abuse by current or former members of the Christian Brothers. The defendants include Vancouver College Limited, St. Thomas More Collegiate Ltd., Gerald Gabriel McHugh, and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Vancouver (“the institutional defendants”), as well as Edward English, Joseph Burke, Douglas Kenny, and Kevin Short (“the Christian Brother defendants”). The lawsuit alleges that the institutional defendants failed to adequately protect students from abuse at the schools, for example, by allowing Christian Brothers with a known history of child abuse to be transferred into teaching positions at the two Vancouver-area Catholic schools.
Settlement Reached
A settlement has been reached with the defendants Vancouver College Limited, St. Thomas More Collegiate, and The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Vancouver (the “Settling Defendants”).
The Settling Defendants have agreed to pay CAD $30,000,000 for the benefit of class members.
The settlement is subject to approval of the Supreme Court of British Columbia. This hearing will take place:
- Date(s): April 30 – May 1, 2026
- Time: 10:00am
- Location: 800 Smithe Street, Vancouver, BC
If you wish to attend the settlement approval hearing, comment on or object to the proposed Settlement, claims process, proposed reimbursement of legal fees and disbursements, and /or the payment of an honorarium to each of the representative plaintiffs, Class Counsel must receive a written submission by April 16, 2026 via:
- email: [email protected]; or
- mail:
CFM Lawyers LLP
Attention: Amy Mileusnic / Betty Lee
400-856 Homer Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 2W5
For more detailed information on the notice or proposed settlement, please view the Notice of Settlement Approval Hearing or the Settlement Agreement with VCL, STM, and RCAV in Documents.
Certification
The claim was certified as a class action by the Supreme Court of British Columbia on March 8, 2023. This means that the action can now proceed as a single lawsuit on behalf of all class members. The court also approved the appointment of Darren Liptrot, a Vancouver College graduate, as the representative plaintiff for the class and our law firm (CFM Lawyers) as counsel for all class members. You are a class member and affected by this class action if you experienced abuse—physically, psychologically or sexually—by a current or former member of the Christian Brothers while enrolled at Vancouver College (1976-2013) or St. Thomas More Collegiate (1976-1989).
You are not required to take any immediate action to remain part of the class. However, we are your lawyers in this matter so you should feel free to contact us any time if you have questions about the progress of the claim, information you think may help us advance the case for everybody, or want to meet the legal team to discuss your personal experience at the schools. All conversations are confidential and protected by lawyer-client privilege.
You should also preserve any documents that might be relevant to your claim, including photographs, journals, and records of medical treatment or financial losses. If the class action is successful, you may be entitled to financial compensation. You will also have the opportunity to opt-out of this class action if you wish, for any reason, including to bring your own individual lawsuit against the defendants. Further information about the opt-out procedure will be provided to class members once a confidential process is approved by the Court.
Additional information about the class action can be found at https://www.christianbrothersclassaction.ca/official-notice.
If you are not sure if you are in the class or if you have any questions about the class action, please contact Class Counsel at:
CFM Lawyers
Attention: Laura Jones or Andrew Johnson
Suite 400 – 856 Homer Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 2W5
Phone: 604.689.7555 or toll-free 1.800.689.2322
Email: [email protected]
Anything you share with Class Counsel is confidential and protected by lawyer-client privilege.