Happyvale Elementary School (Kamloops) Historical Abuse Class Action

What is this lawsuit about?

Former students of Happyvale Elementary School have come forward with reports of sexual abuse by school employees.

If you experienced sexual abuse while attending Happyvale Elementary School, you deserve to be heard. What happened was not your fault, and you were not responsible for the abuse.

Slater Vecchio has started this proposed class action to seek accountability for the school district’s past failures and to help former students find a way forward.

You do not need to know whether you want to take part in the lawsuit. You do not need to have all the answers. We simply want to hear from you and provide information about your options.

What is a class action?

A class action is a legal case through which one person makes a claim to the Court on behalf of a similarly situated class of people who have the same or a similar legal claim. A class action seeks to hold a defendant or defendants responsible for their conduct that affects each member of the class by resolving issues that are common to the class in the same legal proceeding, instead of each class member bringing a claim individually.

The individual who first files the claim must ask the Court for permission to proceed as a class action. If permission is granted (referred as “authorized” in Quebec, and “certified” in all other Canadian provinces) and the case may proceed as a class action, the Court will appoint an individual as “Representative Plaintiff” to represent the best interests of the class during the litigation and will define the class group. Each person who meets the criteria of the class group is considered a “Class Member”.

Who does this class action represent?

This proposed class action is brought on behalf of former students of Happyvale Elementary School in Kamloops who experienced sexual abuse by school employees.

What should proposed class members do now?

If you were a student at Happyvale Elementary School and experienced abuse by a school employee, we encourage you to contact us.

For more information about this proposed class action or to learn about your options, please fill out the form on this webpage. A member of our team will contact you.