LeClerc Group Action Settled

In a series of Supreme Court mediations held earlier this week, a group claim made on behalf of 6 plaintiffs who were abused by Tony LeClerc, was settled by the Tasmanian Government for a total sum of $5,320,000 with the individual settlements ranging between $620,000 and $1,400,000.

Angela Sdrinis, Director of Angela Sdrinis Legal, who acted for the claimants said, “We are pleased that our clients’ long journeys have come to an end. Their stories began in 1980 when they were in primary school and sexually assaulted by LeClerc who has been identified as a prolific abuser who over a long period of time, for reasons which are unfathomable, was protected by the Department of Education. To our knowledge the $1.4 million dollar settlement is the highest to date in Tasmania for an historical child abuse claim.”

Ms Sdrinis noted that assessing damages in historical abuse claims, particularly the aspects of the claims involving economic loss, was not a precise science and even though some of the claimants had been urged by her to continue their matters, the settlements did give them certainty and closure.

Ms Sdrinis said that her firm was keen to establish a binding precedent in historical abuse claims, none of which have reached verdict in Tasmania since the abolition of limitation periods and various other legislative amendments which had made it possible for the LeClerc claimants to pursue their matters in court and to achieve their settlements.

Ms Sdrinis called on victims of institutional child abuse to continue to come forward and to provide submissions to the Commission of Inquiry (COI) which had been established by the Tasmanian Government to investigate and report on child sex abuse in Tasmanian Government institutions. “We know that survivors of child sex abuse are often left with significant trust issues and given the revelations in the media about past government inaction and cover ups, many survivors feel cynical about the Commission’s work and hold the belief that the COI is just another delaying tactic on the part of the Government to avoid responsibility. However, these recent settlements show that the Tasmanian Government is being brought to account and acknowledging its responsibilities. We are supportive of the COI’s work and whilst we would have hoped for wider terms of reference, this is an opportunity to work together so that Tasmanian children today will not face the same risk as the risks faced by our clients in the LeClerc matters. We hope that in combination with the COI’s important work, and the Tasmanian Government being brought to account through litigation in the common law courts, there will finally be lasting change.