Class-action application filed against Montreal high school over sexual assault allegations
Posted July 17, 2026 11:59 am.
Last Updated July 17, 2026 2:43 pm.
An application for a class-action lawsuit on behalf of victims of alleged sexual assaults at a private Montreal high school was filed in Quebec Superior Court Tuesday.
The lawsuit alleges that a former student at Collège de Montréal was repeatedly assaulted by one its employees for nearly three years beginning in 1994 when the victim was 13 years old.
“I am taking this step to provide access to justice for all those who, like me, were victims of abuse at the Collège,” said the plaintiff, in a statement released by their lawyers. The plaintiff is seeking to represent other victims of sexual assault at the high school.
“But above all, we are doing this to free ourselves from the suffering, guilt, and anger that have been eating away at us from the inside for so many years.”
The lawyers accused the staff member of abusing his authority as a coach for an after-school sports activity and taking advantage of a “climate of intimidation the child was experiencing.”
The staff member allegedly assaulted the minor in his office after gaining the victim’s trust.
The lawyers also claim that the high school failed to provide a safe environment for the minor students at the institution.
In a statement to CityNews, Patricia Steben, general manager of Collège de Montréal, said, “We maintain a zero-tolerance stance towards any act of violence, aggression, or bullying, and that the safety and well-being of our students is our absolute priority.”
“Our establishment treats matters of this nature with the utmost seriousness.”
The school will cooperate with the relevant authorities, the statement added.
