Coquitlam Personal Injury Lawyer: Teacher is a Sucker…Puncher
At Mussio Goodman, we have experience representing injured claimant’s (plaintiffs) who have suffered personal injuries due to one’s negligence. In some cases, this involves violent assaults.
A recent example where a defendant was sued for a punch is the infamous case of Thompson v Fraser, 2021 BCSC 541; in this case, an elder private high school teacher was intoxicated while at a bar in Vancouver. The teacher, unfortunately, was involved in a confrontation which resulted in a 21 year-old security officer being called to assist. The security guard was instructed to escort the teacher out of the bar. Unexpectedly, the defendant sucker punched the injured claimant (plaintiff) which resulted in permanent injuries. The teacher was admonished by Mr. Justice Baird who stated as follows:
[5] This was, in short, a thoroughly disgraceful incident. If the defendant is a person of any conscience, he will be immobilised by shame every time he thinks of it. I would emphasise that the plaintiff was barely older than the students, most of them full-time boarders, who are committed by their parents to the defendant’s care every day of the school year. I am amazed that he was not fired from his employment.
[6] The defendant was charged criminally with assault causing bodily harm contrary to s. 267(b) of the Criminal Code, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-46. This is a serious personal injury offence punishable by a maximum of 10 years imprisonment. He entered a guilty plea in Provincial Court and came away with a conditional discharge. He was dealt with extremely leniently. Part of the reason for this, I have no doubt, was the understanding that eventually he would have to answer for his misconduct in a civil lawsuit and, in all likelihood, pay the plaintiff a sizeable sum in damages.
In reliance on the above, the Court awarded the plaintiff $226,000 in total for his claim.
If you have been injured in a similar incident, please contact us immediately to be apprised of your rights!