Suit claims assault by Knowles Centre therapist in ’80s
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A woman is suing the Knowles Centre and the River East Transcona School Division for alleged sexual abuse by a therapist at the centre when she was a teen more than 40 years ago.
In a statement of claim filed in Manitoba Court of King’s Bench, the woman claims the abuse occurred when she was about 14 to 16 years of age, around 1982 to 1984.
She claims the centre and the school division granted the therapist “a position of power and authority,” which was used to turn him into “a trusted authority figure to the plaintiff’s family, and the plaintiff, who was young, vulnerable and in need of guidance.”
The woman claims she was taken to the therapist’s residence where the alleged assault took place.
She claims the abuse “continued on a repeated basis, increasing in frequency, nature and intensity as time progressed” and she was made to feel “it was unsafe to report the wrongdoings.”
The woman claims the defendants were negligent for failing to properly supervise the therapist, for not investigating his background and character, and for not protecting her.
She says she suffered many damages including physical pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety, psychological injuries, addiction, sexual dysfunction, nightmares and night terrors, and difficulty in establishing intimate relationships.
The woman said she also dropped out of school.
The woman says she has had to undergo medical and psychological treatment throughout the years and will need to continue them for the rest of her life.
She says she is seeking unspecified general, special, punitive and aggravated damages.
Both the woman and her British Columbia-based lawyer could not be reached for comment.
A spokesperson for the school division said they can’t comment because the matter is before the courts, while a spokesperson for the Knowles Centre could not be reached for comment.
No statements of defence have been filed and the matter has not been adjudicated in court.
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press’s city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin.
Every piece of reporting Kevin produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press’s city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin.
Every piece of reporting Kevin produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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