The family of a seven-year-old girl who was killed in 2019 is suing the provincial youth protection authority and the local school board for $3 million, seeking accountability for failing to act in the child’s disturbing death.
The girl was found in critical condition in her family home in Granby, about 80 kilometres east of Montreal, on April 29, 2019 and died one day later in hospital.
The girl had been known to youth protection officials, who had left her in the custody of her father despite several reports of violence.
The young victim, who was abused and malnourished, died of asphyxiation after being wrapped in layers of duct tape before her death.
The killing sparked outrage, raising questions about youth protection and the ability of the province to protect vulnerable youth and led to wide-ranging inquiry into the youth protection system.
The lawsuit was filed today by lawyer Valérie Assouline at the Granby courthouse on behalf of the girl’s biological mother and paternal grandparents.
Last December, the girl’s 38-year-old stepmother was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life without possibility of parole for 13 years while the girl’s father pleaded guilty to a lesser count of forcible confinement, receiving a four-year sentence.
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