The Undervaluation of Non-pecuniary and Income-Based Damage Awards in Sexual Abuse Cases: Do Gender and Aboriginal Factors Play a Role?

• Author: Susan M. Vella
• Pages: 477-514



TheUndervaluationof

Nonpecuniaryand

IncomeBasedDamage

AwardsinSexualAbuseCases

DoGenderandAboriginalFactorsPlayaRole

Susan M. Vella*

A. INTRODUCTION

Areviewofthereportedsexualassaultdecisionsondamagestodatere-

vealstwodisturbingandseeminglyentrenchedtrendsFirstnonpecu-

niarydamageawardsarelowacrosstheboardwiththevastmajorityof

successfulplaintisreceivinglessthanhalfthepersonalinjurycapthat

wasestablishedinbytheSupremeCourtofCanadainitsdamages

trilogyofcasesSecondlossofearningcapacityawardsareskewedby

genderandseeminglymorepronouncedbyraceinthesituationofAb-

originalplaintisTheoverallconclusionisthattheharmswhichresult

fromsexualtortsareundervaluedasreectedinthecaselawnotwith-

standingtheapparentrecognitionbythejudiciaryofthereprehensible

character of the misconduct and the per vasivelifelong natur e oft he

harmssueredbythosewhohavebeensexuallyabused

 BarristerandSolicitorTheauthorisindebtedtoElizabethKPGraceforsharing

herearliersurveysofsexualabusedamageawardsandforherinsightfulcomments

regardingearlierdrasofthispaperTheauthoralsowishestothankMichelle

Kemperforherassistanceingatheringthestatisticalinformationusedinthispaper

andprovidingresearchassistance

 Andrews v. Grand & Toy Alberta Ltd.SCRatAndrewsThornton v.

SchoolDistrictNoPrinceGeorgeSCRatThorntonArnold v.

TenoSCRatArnoldThesethreecasesarecollectivelyknown

asthedamagestrilogy

SMV

ThispaperhastwodominantthesesFirsttheassessmentofnon

pecuniarydamageawardshasbeenhamperedbythepersonalinjury

capThecapwasimposedaerareviewbytheSupremeCourtofCan-

adaofpolicyconsiderationsrelevanttonegligencebasedcatastrophic

personalinjurycasesThesepolicyconsiderationsareneitherapplicable

nor appropriateto cases feat uring intentional misconduct that cause s

thepredominantlypsychologicallybasedharmsassociatedwithsexual

abuseandinwhichsignicantpecuniarylossisdiculttoproveThe

personalinjurycapispremisedontheassumptionthatvictimsofneg-

ligencebasedpersonalinjurywillbefullycompensatedbyawardsfor

pecuniarylossfuturecareandorlossofearningcapacitysothatthe

generalfunctionofnonpecuniarydamageawardsistotopupthereal

compensatoryawardiepecuniarylossforthepurposeofproviding

additionalsolacetothevictim

Anotherreasonfortheundervaluationofnonpecuniarydamages

isthattheharmsassociatedwithsexualabusetortsandduciaryduty

alikearelargelyinvisibleharmsofapsychologicalnaturehistoric-

allyassociatedwithsocomplaintssuchasdepressionanxietyand

stress raised by predominantly female plai ntis rather tha n hard

corephysicalinjuriessuchasparalysisbrokenlimbsandbraincogni-

tiveinjurySexualassaulthashistoricallybeenidentiedasawomens

issueandthehistoricaltreatmentbythelawofwomensissueshas

notbeenadvantageousLearnedscholarsinwomenandthelawhave

coinedthephrasefeminizationtodenotethedisparatetreatmentof

womenunderthelaw

Thisearlyfeminizationofthelawpertainingtocivilremediesfor

sexualmisconductcombinedwiththearticialconstraintsimposedby

thepersonalinjurycaphaveoperatedtoconstrainthecourtsvaluation

ofthepainandsueringcomponentofnonpecuniaryawardsissued

in favour of victims of sexual abuse As well pec uniary loss awards

haveeitherbeenminimalorabsentaltogetherwithfewexceptionsto

dateHencethepresumptionunderlyingtheestablishmentoftheper-

sonalinjurycapthatanonpecuniaryawardisessentiallyatopup

ofasubstantialpecuniarylossawardthatalreadyfullycompensates

thevictimofaccidentalinjuryintermsofcalculableeconomiclossis

notborneoutintheeldofcivilsexualassaultasdemonstratedbythe

statisticalanalysisrevealedinthispaper

 SeeforexampleMarthaChamallasTheArchitectureofBiasDeepStructuresin

TortLawUPaLRev

TheUndervaluationofDamageAwardsinSexualAbuseCases

Whileananalysisofallofthepotentialreasonsastowhylossof

earningcapacityclaimsaremoreoenthannotdeniedorsignicantly

reducedisbeyondthescopeofthispaperoneclearlysignicantbar-

rierthatfaceschildhoodvictimsofsexualabuseandwhichdoesnot

typicallyconfrontvictimschildandadultofcatastrophicpersonalin-

jurytowhichthepersonalinjurycapappliesisthefactthatlawsuits

basedonchildhoodsexualabusearetypicallynotbroughtuntilmany

years aer the victims were abused T he reasons for this delay in re-

portingandpursuingcivilsexualabuseclaimsarewelldocumented

Howeverthe practical reality t hat results from this delay created by

the very nature of the in sidious wrongi st hat causation in damages

becomesfarmorecomplicatedanddiculttoproveduetothepassage

oftimeandtheoccurrenceofinterveningeventsThepassageoftimeis

notgenerallysignicantinthecatastrophicpersonalinjurycasewhere

anaccidentvisiblyoccursthephysicalinjuryisoenimmediateand

apparent andmore obviously caused by the negligent conduct and

thevictimtypicallydoesnotwaitdecadesbeforebringingheraction

Theresultleavessexualabuseclaimantswithoutappropriateredressfor

bothnonpecuniarylossandlossofearningcapacityThejustication

forrestrainingthesocialcostoflargeawardsreliedonbytheSupreme

CourtofCanadatosupportacaponnonpecuniarydamagesdoesnot

standupwhenscrutinizedinthelightoftheintentionaltortsincluding

sexualabuseorinlightofthelowpecuniarylossawardsifgranted

receivedbyvictimsofsexualabuse

Finallyitisnoteworthythattheestablishmentofthepersonalinjury

capindidnottakeintoaccountthepossibilityoftheexistenceof

aggravatingfactorsWhilethecourtshaverejectedaseparateheading

ofnonpecuniarydamagesreferredtobysomecourtsasaggravated

damages aggravating factors are appropriately considered to aug-

mentanawardforpainandsueringbeyondwhattheconventional

caselaw wouldot herwise warrant to reect the ma nner in which the

wrongfulconductwasperpetratedorrespondedtoInthemajorityof

sexualabusecasesaggravatingfactorsarepresentplacingthesecases

in a category that justies awarding nonpecun iary damages that are

 SeeElizabethKPGraceJudgingCauseandEectChallengesandTrendsin

AssessingDamagesinSexualAbuseCasesinTheLawSocietyofCanada Specia l

LecturesTheModernLawofDamagesTorontoIrwinLawat

GraceandtheLawCommissionofCanadaRestoring Dignity; Responding to Child

Abuse in Canadian Institutions OawaLawCommissionofCanada

 Seeforexample P.D. v. AllenOJNoSCJP.D.