By Canadian Press

Two Quebec women raped by foster father will sue child protection services: lawyer

Apr 25, 2024 | 11:43 AM

MONTREAL — A lawyer representing two women who were sexually assaulted by a foster father 16 years apart plan to sue the regional health authority in Quebec City. 

Valérie Assouline says one of her clients, who was raped in 2004 at the age of 12, reported her assault to the health authority that oversees youth protection in the region but wasn’t believed.

She says children continued to be placed in the foster home until her other client, who was nine when she was first abused, reported the assaults in 2021.

Assouline says the health authority needs to be held accountable for its failure to protect the girls and that she’s waiting to see if other victims come forward before filing the lawsuit. 

The foster father, Éric Jean, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in November after he pleaded guilty to assaulting both girls. 

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The health authority says it first became aware of the situation in 2021 and immediately launched an investigation. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2024.

The Canadian Press