Settlement reached in priest sex-abuse lawsuit

A man who launched a lawsuit in 2023 over sexual abuse claims has reached a settlement with the Archdiocese of St. Boniface, the Red River Valley School Division and the estate of a now-dead Catholic priest.

The Winnipeg man, now in his mid-40s, alleged he was abused by two priests — including Rene Touchette, who was convicted of sex crimes in the 1990s, and Léo Couture, who died before the lawsuit was filed. He says the abuse happened while he was a student around 1990-91 at the now-closed St. Jean Baptiste Elementary, which was in the Red River Valley division.

The abuse was alleged to have occurred while he was 10-11-years-old and a member of the local Catholic church, overseen by the archdiocese, in St. Jean Baptiste, a francophone community about 75 kilometres south of Winnipeg.

“The parties have reached a settlement,” reads part of a letter from lawyer Jordan Dobrucki, whose firm represented the man, that was filed in court.

The civil action was set for trial in the Court of King’s Bench in November 2027. Those court dates will be cancelled.

The letter does not include any details of the settlement. The defendants did not admit any liability.

The archdiocese and the school division denied knowledge of and liability for any abuse in court filings, before the matter was settled. Couture’s estate also denied that he had abused the plaintiff.

The lawsuit initially named Couture as a defendant, but he died at age 92 shortly before the suit was filed. His estate was then named in the court action instead.

Touchette died in 2012 at age 71. He was charged in 1992 with sexual assault and battery in Somerset, where he had been a priest, and convicted in December 1993. He was sentenced to 30 months, which was later reduced due to a medical condition, according to the court documents.

Lawyers for the archdiocese and the school division declined comment on the settlement. Lawyers for the plaintiff and the estate of Couture did not return requests for comment.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca