A judge has allowed alleged sex-abuse victims to sue the Quebec priest they say molested them.
A dozen alleged victims of Father Raymond-Marie Lavoie had sought the right to file a civil suit, seeking damages from him and College St-Alphonse.
Quebec Superior Court Justice Claude Bouchard allowed the civil action on Wednesday.
Lavoie was a music teacher at the defunct Roman Catholic college near Quebec City and he also oversaw the dormitory.
The case still faces a number of hurdles before it reaches the trial phase, including a challenge from the college and the congregation.
The suit names the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, based in Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre, which operated the school.
The suit was filed on behalf of victims of sexual abuse by priests between 1960 and 1987. Each of the alleged victims is claiming hundreds of thousands in damages.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
Lavoie, who is now in his 70s, also faces criminal charges related to the alleged abuse of youths under his care in the late 1970s and early '80s.
Both Lavoie's criminal and civil cases return to court in January.
