Judge accepts $17-million class-action deal for N.B. psychiatric hospital abuse

A $17-million class-action settlement has been approved after plaintiffs alleged decades of mistreatment of psychiatric patients at the Restigouche Hospital Centre.

A $17-million class-action settlement has been approved after plaintiffs alleged decades of mistreatment of psychiatric patients at the Restigouche Hospital Centre in northern New Brunswick.

In a decision released today, the chief justice of the Court of King’s Bench approved the deal between former patients and the province and Vitalité Health Network, saying it was “fair and reasonable.”

Justice Tracey DeWare referred to the agreement as the largest negotiated class-action settlement ever approved in New Brunswick.

The action alleged the defendants breached their legal duties in the way they operated the Campbellton, N.B., centre, and as a result people suffered physical and sexual assaults.

The lawsuit was filed in 2019 after a report by provincial ombudsman Charles Murray, titled “Failure to Protect,” revealed patients had been victims of mistreatment and inadequate care at the 140-bed hospital.

The judge’s decision allows class members who suffered physical or sexual assaults dating back decades to receive amounts ranging from $10,000 to $85,000, depending on the severity and number of assaults.

There is also compensation for other former patients who were at Restigouche through the time period agreed to, with amounts ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 depending on how long they were residents.

DeWare concluded the proposed settlement was the “best possible outcome for the majority of the class members” and that the settlement system, which avoids a trial, was “user friendly.” She said a court process would have meant people had to wait “many years” for a result.