MONTREAL -- Following the long-term care facility Maison Herron in Dorval, the Sainte-Dorothee CHSLD in Laval is the next to be targeted by a possible class action. It is alleged at least 56 residents have died since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic at the seniors’ home.
The son of a 94-year-old woman who died of COVID-19 at Ste. Dorothee filed an application for a class action lawsuit against the residence.
Jean-Pierre Daubois is alleging the Montreal-area long-term care home acted negligently by forcing two employees with COVID-19 symptoms to remain at work, by improperly isolating residents, and by failing to provide protective equipment to employees.
Daubois' class action lawsuit, filed in Superior Court on Monday, also targets the regional health authority responsible for the Ste-Dorothee long-term care home.
The lawsuit, whose claims have not been tested in court, says the plaintiff's mother, Anna Jose Maquet, died on April 3, after being in the care of a nurse who later tested positive for COVID-19.
Maquet was one of at least 56 residents of the long-term care home who have died of COVID-19 as of April 16.
A spokesperson from the CHSLD Ste-Dorothee said they could not comment on the lawsuit at this time while the regional health authority did not make a representative available for an interview.
Any class action in Quebec must first receive a green light from a judge before it can move forward.
If this happens, the class action will be argued for the benefit of those who lived in this CHSLD since March 13, as well as their relatives, caregivers and heirs, in the case of those who died.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 21, 2020.
