SOMERSET (CANADA)
CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) [Toronto, Canada]
September 25, 2025
By Vera-Lynn Kubinec
Lawsuit filed in March alleges Rene Touchette, who died in 2012, assaulted plaintiff in 1970s
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Boniface is denying allegations that a man was sexually assaulted by a former priest at the church in Somerset, Man., in the 1970s.
A lawsuit filed in Manitoba Court of King’s Bench in March claims the plaintiff, who is now in his 60s, was sexually assaulted by a priest named René Touchette, who died in 2012.
Touchette was convicted in 1993 of sexually assaulting the plaintiff and other victims from Somerset, according to the March lawsuit. At the time of the assaults, the plaintiff was about 13 to 21 years old, his lawsuit says.
Touchette served as a priest at the church in the village of Somerset, about 120 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg, from 1972 to 1990, the March lawsuit says.
The plaintiff alleges in his claim that when he was around 13 or 14 years old, Touchette asked him to help with church and home duties, which involved the plaintiff staying at Touchette’s home on the church property.
The lawsuit alleges sexual assaults by Touchette happened at the church and on trips, such as a trip to California in 1978, when Touchette stayed in the same hotel room as the plaintiff.
The lawsuit against the Archdiocese of St. Boniface and the archbishop of St. Boniface alleges the archdiocese “knew or ought to have known that Touchette was a pedophile,” and that despite receiving complaints about him, the archdiocese didn’t take steps to end the abuse.
In a statement of defence filed in court July 28, 2025, the archdiocese says at no time did it have “any knowledge, actual or otherwise, or any suspicion of any alleged sexually inappropriate contact” by Touchette.
The archdiocese denies there was any sexual contact between Touchette and the plaintiff, but says that if that did happen, the archdiocese is not liable for it.
If the plaintiff was assaulted, that was not done “by anyone for whom the archdiocese is responsible at law,” the court document says.
The archdiocese also denies allegations that it was negligent and breached a duty of care owed to the plaintiff, according to its statement of defence.
The plaintiff is seeking damages for pain and suffering such as post-traumatic stress, depression, humiliation and loss of dignity, as well as negative impact on family and social relationships.
In its defence statement, the archdiocese alleges the plaintiff’s claims for injuries and damages are “remote, excessive and unforeseeable.” It also maintains those claims are vague and exaggerated.
The archdiocese also argues that people who could act as witnesses are either “long dead” or “cannot be located,” and says that “documents are no longer available” to support the allegations in the lawsuit.
The archdiocese’s claims in its statement of defence have not been tested in court.
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Two other lawsuits filed in Manitoba against the archdiocese in 2023 also brought allegations of abuse against Touchette.
Those lawsuits are still before the court, along with the claim filed in March.