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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.