Class Action Certified Against Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Bruce Monk

TORONTO, July 27, 2018 /CNW/ - A national class action against the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Bruce Monk was certified on June 27, 2018. Waddell Phillips Professional Corporation represents the Plaintiffs.

The class action alleges that Bruce Monk, while a teacher and photographer at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, took naked, semi-naked, and sexualized photographs of Royal Winnipeg Ballet students, some of which he published, sold, and disseminated on-line. It is alleged that Monk did this without the consent of the class members. None of the allegations have been proven in court, and the Defendants deny liability.

The class action is brought on behalf of all persons who attended the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School (the "School") from 1984 to 2015 and who, while enrolled at the School, were photographed by Bruce Monk in a private setting. These class members are defined as the "Student Class."

The Student Class includes a "Privacy Subclass" comprised of all members of the Student Class whose intimate photographs taken by Bruce Monk were posted on the internet, sold, published or otherwise displayed in a public setting. A "Family Law Class" was also certified, which includes all dependants of members of the Student Class, as defined by s.61 of the Family Law Act, RSO 1990, c. F.3. This may include spouses, children, grandchildren, parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters.

The class action further alleges that Monk breached his fiduciary duty to the students, and committed breaches of confidence and trust. It alleges that Monk intruded upon the seclusion of the students, invaded their privacy, and committed the tort of public disclosure of private facts.

The class action seeks damages against Monk for the harm he caused by taking these photographs of students. It also seeks damages against Monk for the further harm he caused when he posted the images online, making them widely available to view and, in some cases, selling them online.

The class action is also brought against Monk's employer, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, on the basis of its vicarious liability for the tortious conduct of its teacher, for its own systemic negligence in failing to properly supervise Monk's conduct, and for turning a blind eye to Monk's improper conduct.

Individuals who think that they may be class members are encouraged to contact Waddell Phillips Barristers.

Additional information about the action, including further details about how class members are impacted by the certification decision, or how they may exclude themselves from the action, and a confidential inquiry form are available at http://waddellphillips.ca/class-actions/royal-winnipeg-ballet-class-action/.

SOURCE Waddell Phillips Professional Corporation

Royal Winnipeg Ballet Class Action, Tel: [phone], [email protected], waddellphillips.ca, http://waddellphillips.ca/class-actions/royal-winnipeg-ballet-class-action/