Proposed class action lawsuit alleges sexual abuse of children at Jewish General

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Two Jewish General Hospital employees are accused of sexually abusing a young child in the early 1980s and possibly harming other people as well, according to a class action lawsuit filed against the hospital this week.

The lawsuit alleges that the boy, identified as CK, was the victim of severe sexual assault between the ages of six and eight while attending a day program in the hospital’s child psychiatry department.

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Jessica Lelièvre, CK’s lawyer, said that given the number of children who had participated in child psychiatric programs, it was likely that the two men, Gino Londei and Steve Trowbridge, had other victims.

“It is currently unclear how many people have suffered such abuse, but we know that the two staff members who abused CK abused him on multiple occasions, and we know that many young children were at the disposal of these men. In all likelihood, we believe there are more victims,” ​​Lelièvre said in an interview.

According to the class action motion, CK was six years old in 1981 when he began attending the day program.

He claims the two men sexually abused him in a room where toys used as motivational prizes were kept and in a “time-out” room where the children were locked when one of the staff members decided they were misbehaving.

The alleged abuse included both physical and sexual violence.

According to court documents, Trowbridge once told CK that he could have a rubber ball if he touched his penis.

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“CK had already seen Trowbridge’s penis at this point. He quickly wanted to touch it, but the adult took CK’s hand and forced him to stroke his penis,” the lawsuit states. “CK remembers feeling guilty and disgusted after this assault because he had the rubber ball.”

Londei allegedly sexually abused CK in a “timeout” room on multiple occasions. On one of these occasions, Londei allegedly forcibly dragged the child into the room before abusing her.

“He struck CK in the stomach with a forceful blow. The blow was so severe that CK momentarily lost his breath. While the child was frightened and out of breath, Londei pinned CK to a mat, pulled down his pants and forced anal sex on him,” the court document states. “To this day, CK vividly remembers the pain he suffered. He remembers being breathless, frightened and unable to scream for help.”

According to the filing, after the alleged rape, CK threw away his bloody underwear so his parents couldn’t see them.

The proposed lawsuit alleges that as a result of the abuse, CK developed “low self-esteem, anxiety, depression and an inability to trust people.”

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According to court documents, although CK did not see other children being abused, he did see the men bringing other children into the rooms where he was being abused.

Lelièvre said the lawsuit – which still needs to be approved by a judge before it can proceed – was brought against the hospital because staff abused the authority it gave them and because, to her knowledge, the two men alleged to have committed the abuse have since died.

“The hospital has a responsibility and can be held liable in such a case. It was the employer of these two men. It also created the environment in which this could happen,” said Lelièvre.

The regional health authority that manages the hospital, the CIUSSS for West-Central Montreal, declined to comment on the allegations or whether it will contest the class action certification motion because the case is pending in court.

Lelièvre said the hospital had known about the allegations for nearly a year.

The lawsuit seeks $250,000 in damages for the psychological consequences of the abuse, as well as additional damages – yet to be determined – for the financial consequences of the abuse, such as lost income and therapy costs.

In addition, the Commission will seek punitive damages.

Lelièvre expressed hope that more alleged victims of the two men would come forward. She added that all communications with her office regarding allegations of sexual abuse are confidential and protected by attorney-client privilege.

“It is very difficult to go public and denounce abuse that has been suffered. And I believe that knowing that they are not alone is incredibly helpful in healing the wounds and bringing about justice,” she said.

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