Lawyers representing sexual abuse victims of former New Brunswick priest Levi Noel have filed 11 lawsuits alleging that members of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bathurst covered up his crimes.
A statement of claim filed Friday in the province's Court of Queen's Bench alleges clergy failed to properly respond to Noel's conduct and promoted "a culture of secrecy with respect to the sexual misconduct of clergy which was intended to benefit the diocese rather than stop the misconduct or assist the victims."
In January 2010, Noel was sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to 22 charges of sexual assault against 18 boys between 1958 and 1980.
Lawyer Robert Talach said clergy at the diocese had a responsibility to act sooner.
"He would have faced justice long before 2010," Talach told a news conference in this city of 12,000.
"His list of victims would have been much shorter, and the overall damage he did to this community and this church much less."
Talach's London, Ont.-based Ledroit Beckett law firm has filed 20 lawsuits in total against Noel and the diocese, despite a continuing settlement process.
"Twenty victims who have refused the pieces of silver offered to them through the conciliation process. Victims who want truth, prevention and accountability before compensation," Talach said.
"Their silence is not for sale." Lawyers for Noel and the diocese have not filed statements of defence in any of the cases. Talach said they have until mid-September to respond in court to the most recent statements of claim.
The allegations have not been proven in court.
