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Sexual abuse claims widen against former Catholic boarding school in Granby

Granby private school off hook for legal fees in possible sexual abuse lawsuit

A class-action lawsuit alleging sexual abuse at a former Catholic boarding school in Granby has been expanded to include the names of 11 religious brothers.

The lawsuit was initially launched earlier this month by an anonymous 56-year-old man, who says he was sexually abused more than 300 times at Mont-Sacré-Coeur College between 1973 and 1975.

His lawsuit named one priest, Brother Claude Lebeau, a member of the Les Frères Sacré Du Sacré-Coeur congregation, which ran the school at the time.

The claims in the lawsuit have not been tested in court. Lebeau is believed to be living in the Montreal area.

Since the lawsuit was launched, several more people have come forward saying they were abused at the school between 1940 and 1980, the plaintiff's lawyer said.

"Many people told us they weren't covered by the class-action lawsuit because they were abused by brothers other than Claude Lebeau," said Robert Kugler, one of three lawyers involved in the lawsuit.

"To allow victims to understand that they are covered by the lawsuit, whether they were abused by Brother Lebeau or another brother, we thought it best to modify the lawsuit."

Kugler said around 30 people have so far come forward to say they were victims of abuse at the school. The lawsuit now includes claims of abuse by both teachers and dormitory supervisors.

When the lawsuit was initially filed, a lawyer for Les Frères Sacré Du Sacré-Coeur said the congregation will not oppose the class-action request and plans to co-operate during the proceedings. The congregation has not responded to the latest developments.

Mont-Sacré-Coeur College was an all-boys high school until 1990. The brothers have not been involved in running the school since 2008.