Allegations of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse of residents at what is now known as the Child and Parent Resource Institute in London have led to a lawsuit against the Province of Ontario.
Toronto law firm Koskie Minsky has filed the suit on behalf of client James Templin and is seeking class action status. The suit alleges the province "was negligent and breached its fiduciary duty by virtue of its operation, management, administration, supervision and control of CPRI, resulting in physical, sexual, and emotional abuse of residents, as well as other harms," according to a release from the firm.
The suit seeks $100-million in general damages and $100-million in punitive damgages on behalf of anyone still alive as of February 22, 2014 and who lived at CPRI between the years 1963 and 2011.
CPRI, which was formerly called the Children's Psychiatric Research Institute, was what is known as a "Schedule 1" facility that housed and treated people who were considered developmentally challenged and delayed. The province settled class action lawsuits handled by Koskie Minksy in 2013 and 2014 which involved residents of the Huronia, Southwestern and Rideau Regional Centres. Last year, it settled a suit involving 12 other "Schedule 1" facilities, including the former Oxford Regional Centre.
"It is not clear why the Province chose to compensate those individuals who were abused at other Schedule 1 Facilities, but not at CPR," says Koskie Minsky lawyer David Rosenfeld. "Many residents of CPRI have suffered horrible abuses on the Province's watch that have gone ignored for far too long. This lawsuit finally represents a real shot at access to justice for these vulnerable people."
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
