Proposed $17 Million Settlement Reached in Restigouche Hospital Centre Class Action Lawsuit Against the Province of New Brunswick and Vitalité Health Network on Behalf of Former Residents.

CAMPBELLTON, NB, June 30, 2023 /CNW/ - A proposed settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit against the Province of New Brunswick and Vitalité Health Network on behalf of former residents of the Restigouche Hospital Centre ("RHC") in Campbellton, New Brunswick. The action was commenced by Darrell Tidd and Reid Smith, acting as litigation guardians of two former RHC residents. The lawsuit alleged that the Defendants breached various duties in regard to the operation of RHC.

The action was certified as a class action on October 1, 2021. The class action currently includes all individuals who were admitted or resided at RHC from May 24, 2004, to October 1, 2021, and who were alive as of May 24, 2017. The class also includes individuals who resided at RHC from January 1, 1954, to October 1, 2021, who claim they were sexually assaulted.

If approved by the Court, the settlement will provide a $17 million fund to compensate class members for harms they alleged to have suffered at RHC. A settlement approval hearing will be held at Court on September 25, 2023, at which time the Court will consider whether the settlement is fair, reasonable, and in the best interests of the class and whether to approve the settlement agreement. Collectively, the parties are pleased to conclude this page of history and look to the future, building on the positive changes that have been put in place over the past few years at the Restigouche Hospital Centre, which continues to strive to provide care and services that best meet the needs of the patients.

The Court has not decided which side is right or that the Defendants have done anything wrong. The proposed settlement is also not an admission of liability or wrongdoing by the Defendants with respect to the allegations found in the lawsuit. Trials can be expensive and may take years before a final decision on who is right or wrong is made. By agreeing to the proposed settlement, the Representative Plaintiffs, Class Members and the Defendants avoid the expenses, uncertainties and delays that come with a trial. The settlement agreement provides for a streamlined, paper-based claims assessment process which allows class members to seek compensation without having to go to court.

The settlement agreement is subject to approval by the Court. Notice of the class action can be found at www.RestigoucheHospitalCentreClassAction.ca.  The notices explain Class members' rights, including details of the proposed settlement. The notices provide information on Class Members' rights and steps Class Members must take if they wish to remove themselves from the lawsuit or if they wish to object to the proposed settlement.  The notices also provide instructions on how to make a claim if the settlement is approved.

For more information about the settlement, please visit Class Counsel's website at https://kmlaw.ca/cases/restigouche-hospital-centre-class-action.

SOURCE Koskie Minsky LLP