- Date: N/A
- Victim’s Age: N/A
- Victim’s Sex: Male
- Occupation: Student
- Place: N/A
- Injuries sustained: depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, and antisocial personality disorder
- Compensation/ Settlement Amount: $2,235,513.
The man was in grades 7 and 8 when he was repeatedly sexually assaulted by his science teacher. The boy had learning difficulties since early childhood and therefore required special help with learning. He was often required to be isolated from other students to do his work which left him unsupervised making him a target for his predatory science teacher. The science teacher had a mini zoo which he used to lure in the boy. Once the teacher had developed a relationship with the boy he started to sexually assault him in the storage room at the back of the science classroom. The assaults included touching and rubbing of the boy’s genitals over his clothing which happened 100s of times. There were also 5 instances of forced oral sex. The abuse occurred between the years 1978 to 1980.
Injuries
The sexual assaults he experienced as a boy had a lifelong impact. He suffered and continues to suffer from major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, and antisocial personality disorder. It is very hard for him to keep employment. He also finds it difficult to form relationships due to his mood swings, drug abuse, suicidal thoughts, and mistrust.
Liability
In 2018 at the age of 51, the man filed a personal injury lawsuit against the school board and his teacher for the pain and suffering the assaults caused him. The Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board admitted liability for the sexual assaults that the boy suffered. He is one of several students that were sexually assaulted by the teacher. The school board’s negligence allowed for the abuse and the resulting damages the man now faces.
Compensation
The man was awarded a total of $2,235,513. He received $250,000 for aggravated damages, $1,069,552 for loss of past income and $700,000 for loss of future income. Since he finds it difficult to form and maintain relationships, he was awarded $144,827. He also received compensation for OHIP claims and a management fee as he will require someone to help manage the award he received.
To read more on pursuing a lawsuit for sexual assault and harassment that happened at school read here.
