On February 20th three former students commenced a law suit claiming damages of $10 million for childhood sexual abuse they allege they suffered at the hands of former teacher and principal Clarke Anderson while attending Fairview Public School in Pembroke. According to a media release issued by the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Michael Switzer of Ottawa, Anderson was convicted in 1998 of seven counts of indecent assault against girls and boys.
The claims are based on abuse said to have occurred between 1973 and 1979.
In addition to Anderson, the Renfrew County District School Board has been made a defendant as it is alleged that “officials knew the abuse was occurring but allowed it to continue unfettered for years.”
The plaintiffs are identified in the proceedings only by their initials. They are a female residing in Ottawa, another female residing in the town of Renfrew, and a male residing in Eganville.
The Statement of Claim, which has been issued out of the Superior Court in Ottawa, lists dozens of psychological injuries and impairments that the plaintiffs are alleged to have suffered over the intervening years, summarized as symptoms that are consistent with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
In the release, Switzer states, “Victims are affected every single day of their lives as a result of childhood sexual abuse. They deserve justice and compensation for the effect that the abuse has had on every aspect of their lives and their families, especially when the criminal justice system has failed them.” He says that he hopes that other victims will come forward to seek justice and effect change, and notes that he works with a sexual assault trauma therapist and private investigator as part of his team. He told The Current that he believes that there are “at least eight victims and suspect that there are others as well.”
Switzer,M. (2020,Feb.28) Sexually abused students suing Renfrew County School Board for $10 million [media release]