Catholic Diocese of Prince George, B.C., settles abuse lawsuit for $3.4M: lawyer

The Law Courts building, which is home to B.C. Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, is seen in Vancouver, B.C., Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

VANCOUVER — A British Columbia man who says he was sexually abused by a teacher in the 1990s has reached a $3.4-million settlement with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Prince George and St. Thomas More Collegiate.

Lawyer Sandra Kovacs says in a statement that the settlement was reached just before the case was scheduled for a 23-day trial in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver.

The anonymous plaintiff claimed in the lawsuit that he was “groomed and sexually abused” in 1993 and 1994 by a teacher at O’Grady Catholic High School in Prince George, B.C.

The statement from the man’s lawyer says the teacher is now 75 years old and believed to be living in Newfoundland, and though he responded to the lawsuit at first, he later “failed to appear for discovery.”

It says the diocese and St. Thomas More did not “contest” the claims of abuse, but denied being liable, and the teacher faces multiple allegations of sexual abuse in separate lawsuits filed in B.C. Supreme Court in 2024.

The plaintiff says in the statement that he’s continuing to recover from the trauma he endured, but is “now more hopeful than ever” for other abuse survivors to speak out as they “journey toward healing and meaningful justice.”

Neither the diocese nor St. Thomas More Collegiate were immediately available for comment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 11, 2025.

The Canadian Press