News & Media

In a rare legal decision, a judge has set aside an 18-year-old settlement in a civil lawsuit that child sexual abuse survivor Irene Deschenes signed with the Diocese of London, saying the church failed to disclose key information about previous sexual assault allegations that would have drastically changed the terms of the settlement.

Between Friday, November 16 and Friday, November 23, 2018, Loretta Merritt was interviewed extensively by various radio and television news media regarding the situation at St. Michael’s College School including: CBC News Network (with Suhan...

St. Michael's College School continues to deal with ongoing allegations of sexual assault, as the private boys' school alerts police to a third incident. Loretta Merritt is the parent of a St. Michael's student. She's also a lawyer who has worked ...

Alicia Pickering sits on a kitchen barstool next to her 18-year-old daughter, Lauryn. As they are getting settled and ready for our interview, I think about the questions I'll be asking in front of our cameras. It fills me with dread. I want to sh...

The opportunity to opt out of a class action is offered in all Ontario class-action proceedings, but lawyers say there are some fact situations in which pursuing individual claims makes more sense than being part of a class.

Irene Deschenes reported being sexually abused by Father Charles Sylvestre in 1994 and later settled a civil suit. Now, Deschenes is going to court to reopen her settlement because she claims it was based on misinformation.  Survivor of Catho...

Loretta Merritt was recently selected as a leader in Personal Injury Litigation, as published in the latest edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada©.

A decade-long court battle between the Roman Catholic Diocese of London and its insurance company has disclosed $15 million in largely secret settlements to people who sued priests for sexual abuse.

So many women are speaking out about sexual assault by resort employees in numerous countries, Trip Advisor announced last fall that it would flag hotels where assaults have been reported.

OTLA champions and advocates for the rights of those who have suffered injury and loss through the wrongdoing of others.

The John A. McLeish Award honours a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the goals of a fair trial and access to justice, as an advocate, in legal scholarship, continuing legal education, legal writing, journalism, politics or government.

Training school survivor haunted for decades: What happened to James Forbes?

The accuser is a witness for the Crown, meaning she doesn't have a right to representation by a lawyer and has no say in how the proceeding is conducted said Loretta Merritt, a Toronto-based lawyer who specializes in sexual abuse lawsuits.

Class actions are not always best — individual lawsuits may be better. Get advice about opting out.

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A proposed class action lawsuit has been launched against the Ontario government alleging horrific sexual, physical and psychological abuse perpetrated on former students of the province’s “training schools” between 1931 and 1984.

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2017/12/08/they-say-they-suffered-cruel-and-sadistic-abuse-as-kids-at-ontario-training-schools-and-the-province-paid-them-to-keep-quiet.html

While there are certainly advantages to pursuing historical sexual abuse claims by way of a class action, there are also distinct disadvantages.

A Toronto woman is the 4th woman to come forward alleging she was sexually assaulted by an employee at a RUI resort in the Dominican Republic.

The family of deceased baby Kody Smart has launched a lawsuit against Niagara Region Children’s Aid Society after it gave custody of the child to his grandfather — convicted child abuser Brian Matthews