Lawyers Meagan Potier, left, and David Corrigan, right, represent 16 plaintiffs who are suing the Calgary Board of Education. The plaintiffs say they were victimized by teachers between 1988 and 2004. (Bob Sumner)
A revised statement of claim will be filed Tuesday to include naming a second John Ware teacher and former guidance councillor as a defendant.
That teacher previously admitted to sexually abusing students at another school.
CBC News is not naming the second teacher because the updated statement of claim has not yet been filed and he has not been charged criminally in connection with the allegations from his time at John Ware.
‘Provided cover for each other’
Potier says the law firm has interviewed witnesses who will testify that Gregory and the second teacher were “working together to assist each other in abusing children” and that the two men “provided cover for each other with parents and teachers.”
The lawyers say they have one client who alleges he was victimized by the second teacher when he was in Grade 7. That man is considering whether to go to police, according to Corrigan.
Corrigan says his law firm investigation uncovered witness evidence of at least seven reports of abuse made to teachers, principals and guidance counselors at John Ware School.
“So we know that, in fact, multiple teachers knew what was going on, multiple administrators knew what was going on and steps were never taken to correct that situation,” said Corrigan.
“It’s quite a story and it’s caused our clients quite a bit of damage.”
‘Predatory behaviour’
Gregory’s “predatory behaviour” allegedly included bringing students to his home and giving them gifts of money, concert tickets, jewelry, mixed tapes, alcohol and drugs.
In a written statement Monday, the CBE called the case a “complicated legal matter” with “multiple factors that can influence the timeline.
The board acknowledged the delay “may be difficult for the plaintiffs” but said it is “committed to moving forward with this insurer-led process.
“The CBE remains deeply disturbed by these allegations,” reads the school board statement.
But Corrigan says the CBE continues to shirk its responsibility to former students, and after nine months of working toward a settlement, he hopes to book a liability trial for mid-2025.
“They haven’t taken any responsibility whatsoever,” said Corrigan.
“We don’t know what the lives of these 16 people would have been like had they not encountered these two cretins.”
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