Landmark verdict on Québec priest sex abuse expected today

The Supreme Court will decide whether or not to uphold time limits on when victims can sue their abusers.

Shirley Christensen was 6-years old when she was sexually abused by Rev. Paul-Henri Lachance in the late 1970s. He pleaded guilty to sexual assault charges in 2009 and was sentenced to 18 months. Now 36, Christensen has tried twice to sue Lachance for $250,000 but Québec courts ruled both times that she had waited too long. According to a spokesperson for the Association of Victims of Priests, victims who wait more than three years to sue abusers in Québec face major obstacles. The compensation laws in Québec follow the civil law tradition and are different from the rest of Canada. Should the court rule in Christensen’s favour, there will likely be a flood of cases filed against the province’s churches.