The Royal Winnipeg Ballet has settled a class-action lawsuit against them over allegations that a teacher took inappropriate photographs of some of the students, and then distributed the photographs online. The settlement was $10,000,000 for all students that were photographed between 1984 and 2015.
The teacher, Bruce Monk, was alleged to have taken nude, semi-nude, and other intimate photos of the students. He then published and sold the photos online afterwards.
The lawsuit claimed that Monk used his position of trust and power to invade the privacy of the students. When the ballet school learned of the allegations, they fired Monk back in 2015.
The ballet school took responsibility for their failure to protect their students, and in their issued apology stated their commitment to creating a safe and positive environment for students.
The lawsuit settlement structure allows $1,000 to students for health services and up to $2,500 to students that have trauma due to any incidents.
Originally reported in theglobeandmail.com
