Archdiocese of St. Boniface faces another lawsuit alleging sexual assault by former priest

The Archdiocese of St. Boniface in the Roman Catholic Church is being sued by a man who says he was sexually assaulted by a former priest at the church in the village of Somerset, Man., in the 1970s.

The lawsuit says a priest named Rene Touchette, who is now deceased, was convicted of sexual assault against the plaintiff and other victims from Somerset in or around December 1993.

The plaintiff is now in his 60s and his statement of claim filed March 3 in Manitoba Court of King's Bench says that sexual assaults took place between 1972 and 1980 when the plaintiff was about 13 to 21 years old.

At the time the plaintiff was a member of Somerset Church, where Touchette was the priest.

The plaintiff alleges that starting when he was around 13 or 14 years old, Touchette asked him to help with church and home duties, and he often stayed at the priest's home on church grounds.

Touchette also took the plaintiff on trips to places such as California, in which the priest would stay in the same hotel room as the plaintiff, the lawsuit claims.

It says Touchette sexually assaulted the plaintiff on occasions at the church and on trips, and that the priest often gave the plaintiff alcohol, even though he was a minor.

"The plaintiff says that Touchette knew or ought to have known that his conduct was unwelcome, humiliating, offensive, abusive, illegal, and constituted battery and sexual assault," the lawsuit says. 

The allegations have not been tested in court. 

Touchette had previously been accused of sexual assault in two other lawsuits in 2023. Those cases are still before the court.

The latest lawsuit names as defendants the Archdiocese of St. Boniface, La Corporation Archiepiscopale Catholique Romaine de Saint-Boniface, and the Archbishop of St. Boniface as defendants. Statements of defence have not been filed in court.

Neither the plaintiff nor the defendants immediately responded to a request for comment from CBC News.

CBC is not naming the plaintiff because he's an alleged victim of abuse.

Lawsuit claims Archdiocese aware of abuse

His lawsuit alleges "that the Archdiocese, knew or ought to have known, that Touchette was a pedophile," because "various complaints of sexual and/or physical assault were made against Touchette by victims of the assault, including the plaintiff's brother."

It says that at least once, a victim personally complained to the Archbishop of St. Boniface about an assault by Touchette, but "Touchette was transferred from one church to another."

"Despite the complaints, the Archdiocese took no steps to end the abuse, and the abuse continued against the plaintiff," the statement of claim says.

It says Touchette and the Archdiocese had a duty to "investigate reports of sexual assault against members of the clergy," and to "encourage reporting sexual abuse."

The Archdiocese needed to "act on knowledge that Touchette was sexually and/or physically abusing children," and terminate his employment, the claim alleges.

It says the Archdiocese breached its duties by "placing Touchette in a position of trust and confidence when he was a pedophile who sexually assaulted the plaintiff."

The plaintiff alleges he suffered effects such as post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, humiliation, loss of dignity, and negative impacts on family and social relationships.

He is seeking an unspecified amount of damages for harms such as pain and suffering, loss of past and future income, and future care and treatment.

If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911. For support in your area, you can look for crisis lines and local services via the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. ​​