Class action lawsuit filed in B.C. over alleged fake nurse amid confirmation she also worked in Victoria

A class action lawsuit has been filed over a woman accused of posing as a nurse at B.C. Women’s Hospital for a year, as new details show she also worked at a private clinic in Victoria.

Brigitte Cleroux allegedly used a real nurse's name while "providing medical care to patients" at B.C. Women's Hospital, according to the Vancouver Police Department.

The 49-year-old worked at the hospital for an entire year – from June 2020 to June 2021. Patients are being sent letters informing them of Cleroux’s involvement in their care.

It’s now been revealed she also worked at View Royal Surgical Centre in Victoria for three weeks in Nov. 2020.

“We are working with the authorities to review the matter and ensure patients who may have had contact with Ms. Cleroux are provided with the information and support they need,” said Fatima Fazal, chief operating officer of Surgical Centres Inc.

It’s not clear how many patients at the clinic had interactions with Cleroux during that time.

A class action lawsuit has also been filed in the B.C. Supreme Court against the Provincial Health Services Authority (the authority responsible for hiring Cleroux) claiming PHSA is liable for the actions of Cleroux.

The lawsuit, filed by personal injury law firm Murphy Battista LLP, claims members of the class action “sustained a battery” after receiving treatment from Cleroux. The suit also states “as a result of learning that Cleroux was not a registered nurse, many Class Members sustained mental distress and nervous shock all of which was foreseeable to PHSA.”

Litigation lawyer Scott Stanley said patients gave consent to receive treatment from Cleroux under the impression she was a licensed professional, adding that consent is “now invalid."

“A battery is unlawful, non-consensual contact with another human being and a medical procedure is a battery if it hasn’t been properly consented to,” Stanley said.

A number of women have joined the class action but Stanley said his law firm is hearing from “more and more people” as patients learn about the story.

“To find you were administered or cared for by someone who’s not a licensed professional is incredibly distressing for all of them,” he said. “There are safeguards in place to make sure that people aren’t put in important positions like this. As we see, this just wasn’t done here.”

The class action lawsuit has not yet been certified and the allegations haven't been tested in court.

The PHSA declined to comment on the lawsuit but a statement posted on the BC Women’s Hospital website said the case was an “unfortunate reminder that individuals with criminal intent exist in our world.”

The statement goes on to say that the health authority has conducted a review to “re-confirm that all of PHSA’s licensed health-care professionals hold valid registration with their respective colleges and associations.”

Cleroux is also facing charges in Ontario, including charges of assault with a weapon, and criminal negligence causing bodily harm.