New Brunswick Judge Awards Victim of Assault $1.3 Million Dollars

In 2019, Randy Van Horlick brutally assaulted Natasha Poirier, a Moncton nurse, leaving her unable to return to work.  Mr. Van Horlick cornered Ms. Poirier in her office at the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont Hospital and violently attacked her for more than 11 minutes.

In 2020, Randy Van Horlick was found guilty of assaulting Poirier and another nurse Teresa Thibeault at the Georges-L.-Dumont Hospital in March 2019 and sentenced to six months in jail.

In 2020, Poirier had filed a lawsuit against Van Horlick claiming damages for pain and suffering and loss of income and future earnings.  The Court of Queen’s Bench Justice, Jeal-Paul Ouellette, issued a decision on March 1st ordering Van Horlick to pay $1,357,847.00 which would account for lost past and future income, pain and suffering damages interest, and costs.

The evidence presented at trial proved that, as result of the assault, Ms. Poirier required several surgeries which left with her with chronic pain, a brain injury, frequent headaches, sensitivity to light and sounds, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety. During the trial she had testified that the assault had upended her life and left her unable to work. She was only able to work a few hours a week compared to her regular 60 hours at Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont Hospital and with Veterans Affairs Canada.

Compensation

At Wagners, we firmly believe that no amount of compensation can eliminate the pain and suffering that your assailant caused, but there is so much good that comes from a successfully resolved physical abuse claim. As a survivor, the monetary compensation you receive can assist you to recover from the abuse and cater to the medical costs involved. Holding the assailant accountable also restores your dignity and encourages other victims of physical abuse and or institutional abuse to come out and seek justice as well.

The amount of compensation you deserve for your sexual or institutional abuse claim will depend on many factors. Some of these factors include:

  • How the abuse affected your ability to support yourself and make sufficient income
  • The type of medical treatment you need or you have sought due to the abuse
  • The personal or unique circumstances of your lawsuit

We know that assault is a terrible experience, and many victims usually have a heavy burden that they are likely to carry for a long time. For this reason, we offer reliable legal assistance that you need to get the monetary burden off your shoulders. Our main goal is to build a strong strategy and successfully fight for your rights.

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