BC Inmate Sexual Assaults Class Action

What is this lawsuit about?

Slater Vecchio LLP has filed a class action lawsuit against the Province of British Columbia and Roderic David MacDougall for alleged sexual assaults on inmates in BC Corrections facilities during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

The class action seeks to represent all individuals who were sexually abused by Roderic David MacDougall at corrections centres where he was employed by the Province of British Columbia as a corrections officer. The class action alleges that the Province of British Columbia is vicariously liable for sexual assaults perpetrated by Roderic David MacDougall at these corrections centres.

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 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 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?

The proposed class action seeks to represent all individuals who were sexually abused by Roderic David MacDougall while incarcerated in a corrections center in British Columbia between 1976 and 1997.

It is alleged that Roderic David MacDougall sexually abused incarcerated individuals at the following corrections centres during the following years:

• Oakalla Prison from 1976 – 1990;
• Fraser Regional Correctional Center from 1990 – 1993;
• Surrey Justice Centre Probation Office in 1993; and
• Alouette River Correctional Center from 1993 – 1997.

What should proposed class members do now?

If you claim to have been sexually abused by Roderic David MacDougall while incarcerated in a British Columbia corrections centre, please fill out the confidential form on this webpage and a representative from Slater Vecchio LLP will contact you.