BishopAccountability.org
	Victim of Pedophile Priest Wins Record Settlement Diocese Avoids Civil Trial By Donald McArthur Windsor Star May 8, 2009 http://www2.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=b06988be-0a5e-400d-ae8d-5ebe79552ac0 A victim of pedophile priest Charles Sylvestre has secured a record-setting settlement from the London diocese of the Roman Catholic Church, just days before her civil lawsuit was to proceed to trial. Lou Ann Soontiens, who endured five years of abuse as a girl and underwent a forced abortion, will share her story and announce details of the historic settlement today in London. It is believed to be in the seven-figure range and, according to her lawyer, Robert Talach, it is "the largest settlement of an individual sexual abuse case in Canadian history." The settlement was reached Tuesday evening. Sylvestre was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty in 2006 to sexually assaulting 47 girls over 40 years in Windsor, Chatham, Pain Court, Sarnia and London. Publicity surrounding his case prompted more victims to come forward. Sylvestre died in Kingston Penitentiary in January 2007, less than four months into his sentence. Talach said Soontiens was both excited and disappointed to have reached a settlement on the eve of her civil trial, which she filed three years ago and which was set for trial Monday. "There was excitement that it was done and that the long haul was over but there was some disappointment that the full story of Sylvestre has yet to be told," said Talach of Ledroit Beckett in London. "As you can appreciate, the public has not had exposure to the full facts of what happened here. Some of the evidence is protected until it is used in a trial and some of the evidence is new." In particular, Talach said evidence suggested Sylvestre was moved from Hamilton to Windsor in the early 1950s after complaints were made against him in Hamilton. "He should have never been in Windsor, he should have never been in London, he should have never been in Sarnia, he should have never been in Chatham, he should never have been in Pain Court," said Talach. "All those victims in those cities could have been avoided." Mark Adkinson, spokesman for the diocese of London, said church officials were pleased to have reached a "fair and reasonable settlement" with Soontiens and were "committed to living up to our responsibilities and obligations to victims and their search for justice and truth." Adkinson added the Church was "sorry for all the hurt" that Soontiens and other victims of Sylvestre have experienced. The church will continue to offer counselling to Sylvestre's victims as "part of the healing process," said Adkinson. Talach said Soontiens' story is a "roller-coaster of facts and misery" and that she was sharing it in a bid to empower victims who have been abused or are being abused. "She wants the focus to be on the fact that there are other women out there still seeking justice," said Talach. "She also wants people out there who may be suffering abuse right now, or young children who are afraid to speak up, to take from her example that justice can be achieved." Another civil suit launched by a victim of Sylvestre is set for trial in September. The settlement money is not drawn from parish assets, said Adkinson.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.