Victims of a former Ottawa doctor convicted of sexual assault and voyeurism against his patients at a University of Ottawa health clinic may soon be eligible to receive compensation as part of a settlement with the school.
If approved, the proposed $21 million settlement would be disbursed among the members of the class-action lawsuit, including any patient of the University of Ottawa Health Services who was recorded without their consent or sexually assaulted by Vincent Nadon.
The proposed settlement, obtained by CBC News, proposes that a team of trauma-informed, experienced psychologists will classify members into four categories “based on the severity of abuse experienced.”
As part of the fund, an estimated $1 million will be allocated for victims who suffered “past or future income loss or lost educational opportunities.”
It has been nearly seven years since the class action against Nadon and the university was initiated — “a long and difficult journey to seek justice for the more than 140 known victims,” said Sean Brown, the lead lawyer for the firm representing the plaintiffs, in a news release.
“We expect that additional survivors may come forward in the days ahead. We are proud of the dedication and perseverance our team showed in securing a just outcome.”
The university and its clinic admit no wrongdoing, according to the release and the court documents.
Nadon was arrested in January 2018 for secretly recording dozens of his patients over nearly 30 years. He was practising medicine at the university’s family health clinic on Rideau Street when the assaults took place.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario stripped Nadon of his medical licence in 2020, more than a year after he pleaded guilty to 14 sexual assault and voyeurism charges.
He was sentenced to eight years in prison, less one year for time already served, but was granted full parole in 2021.
A hearing to decide whether to approve the settlement is scheduled for Sept. 8 in Ottawa’s Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
