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< < | articles and editorials from Jan 6-9 | more
| Sabo's apology | Editorials: StarPhoenix,
Leader Post and National Post >
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> > | Previous coverage
in February, 2004 | April 15/04:
Judge Baynton warns defendants' lawyers not to delay damages
trial | December, 2004: Government
stalls appeal: seeks to intervene on its own behalf | Dueck walks away a wealthy man:
it seems no one has the will to make him account for his malicious
and criminal actions
-
- The Klassen
story
- Breaking
through to the public
Klassen settles suit
with Dueck
Shannon Boklaschuk, The
StarPhoenix; With files from Canadian Press, Saturday, May 01,
2004
PHOTO
CREDIT: Gord Waldner, The StarPhoenix
The man at the centre of a
high-profile malicious prosecution lawsuit has settled his claim
against a Saskatoon city police officer.
At a press conference at his
new west-side home on Friday afternoon, Richard Klassen told
reporters that a "conclusion" has been reached with
Supt. Brian Dueck.
"I can't discuss a settlement
amount, but certainly it has been concluded satisfactorily to
myself," said Klassen, who refused to disclose a dollar
figure.
Although Klassen repeatedly
said details of the settlement agreement are to remain confidential,
he noted it "represents closure."
"As everyone knows, I'm
self-represented. I've been working on this case for a long period
of time," he said.
"I took it upon myself
to see if I can conclude matters, and I think that defendant
Dueck and counsel would like to see it end."
Klassen said he will immediately
file documentation with the Court of Queen's Bench, stating all
action between himself and Dueck has been "concluded."
"It's over for him and
I, and it's done," Klassen said in an interview.
"I want him out of my
mind."
Klassen said working on the
settlement agreement was difficult for him, since he had to keep
details from his wife, Kari, another plaintiff.
Kari Klassen told reporters
that she only learned of the out-of-court settlement during Friday's
media conference.
"I didn't know until now.
I can't believe it. I'm so happy for him," she said, her
voice breaking with emotion.
"I'm very proud of him,
extremely proud. Everything that he has done, all the decisions
he has made for this case, have worked out extremely well for
everybody -- and they will continue to."
Richard Klassen's sister, Pamela
Shetterly, said she had no idea her brother was going to settle
his claim.
"I'm surprised,"
Shetterly said from her home in Outlook. "What are my feelings?
I don't know. We all harbour different feelings toward what Dueck
did."
Earlier this year, police Chief
Russell Sabo apologized to the Klassen family and announced he
hired a law firm to investigate the role Dueck played in their
malicious prosecution.
"I have faith in the chief
of police," Klassen told reporters.
Dueck is on medical leave.
His lawyer could not be reached for comment Friday.
However, police spokesperson
Insp. Lorne Constantinoff said the department is "happy"
that an agreement has been reached.
"It's a good indication.
It's a sign of moving forward."
Mayor Don Atchison also said
he's pleased the two sides have come to a conclusion, but pointed
out the city didn't participate in the negotiations.
"It was between Mr. Klassen,
Supt. Dueck, his lawyer and the insurer," he said.
Atchison, who chairs the police
commission, said the city is not on the hook for any more than
a $50,000 insurance deductible, which has already been paid.
In late December, Court of
Queen's Bench Justice George Baynton ruled that three officials
-- Dueck, child therapist Carol Bunko-Ruys and Crown prosecutor
Matthew Miazga -- maliciously prosecuted Klassen and 11 other
plaintiffs.
In 1991, Klassen and his family
members were wrongly accused of sexually abusing three foster
children.
The charges were eventually
stayed against them, and they sued for malicious prosecution.
Their lawsuit sought damages of more than $10 million.
A trial to determine damages
is set for Sept. 13, although an agreement could be reached during
a pre-trial settlement conference in June.
The provincial government has
appealed Baynton's ruling, as has Dueck. Dueck on Friday abandoned
his appeal pertaining to Klassen.
Klassen has not reached settlements
with either Miazga or Bunko-Ruys.
Lawyer Robert Borden, who represents
the other plaintiffs, said he hasn't been given "the particulars"
of Klassen's settlement. He said none of the other 11 plaintiffs
have sought out-of-court settlements.
Borden also said Richard Klassen's
settlement doesn't affect his clients.
"We're very happy for
Mr. Klassen that he's resolved that one issue, but certainly
it has no impact on the amount of damages which the other plaintiffs
will receive," he said.
For years, Klassen has worked
to clear his family's name. Along the way, he has also dealt
with other challenges, such as a recent prostate cancer diagnosis
and an addiction to sleeping pills and other medication.
Filming will begin in a year
on a two-hour, made-for-TV movie about his struggle for justice.
But for now, Klassen plans to focus on "health issues,"
which he says he's "going to try and keep private.
"I do have a new physician,
and I'm going to work on some health issues," he said Friday.
"So closure for me, as
far as Dueck is concerned, it really does help."
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2004
Klassen offers support
to police
The StarPhoenix, September
11, 2004
Sitting before a roomful of
police officers and commissioners, Richard Klassen wanted to
apologize.
The man whom a Court of Queen's
Bench justice ruled had been maliciously prosecuted a decade
ago, along with 11 extended family members, told the force it
was his turn to say he's sorry.
"I've been guilty of painting
the police department with the wrong brush," he said Thursday.
"I think the police department has started to come about."
Klassen's newfound sympathy
for the police service stems, he said, from his recent purchase
of a home in Saskatoon. Two assaults on a family member in the
last seven months and the city's high-crime reputation have alarmed
him, however, to the point that he's installed security cameras
around his house.
"I suggest we all chip
in," he said of curbing crime. "We're not going to
be able to live here (otherwise). It's a dangerous place to live.
"I've come to realize
(police) are here to help."
Police commissioner Eleanor
Shia told Klassen that officers will appreciate his sentiment.
"There's always one or
two bad apples," she said. "The others do their job.
Thank-you for acknowledging it."
Klassen and family members
were charged, tried and acquitted of sexual abuse against three
foster children in the early 1990s. Years later, the children
admitted they had invented the stories.
Last December, Justice George
Baynton ruled that prosecutor Matthew Miazga, Saskatoon police
Supt. Brian Dueck and therapist Carol Bunko-Ruys had been malicious
in their prosecution of the case.
The government has filed an
appeal of the malicious prosecution finding.
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2004
Wrongly
prosecuted man plans move here
- Attracted by Driskell
case
Staff Reporter, Lindsey
Wiebe, Winnipeg Free Press, March 31, 2004
After spending the last 14
years battling wrongful accusations of sexual abuse in what was
known as the "scandal of the century," Richard Klassen
wants to bring his quest for justice to Winnipeg.
"Going to Winnipeg will
be a fresh start," said Klassen from Alberta, where he is
currently travelling.
Klassen's ordeal began in Saskatchewan
in 1991, when he and 11 other family members were accused by
foster children of bizarre, ritualistic abuse.
The children later recanted,
and Klassen and his family sued for malicious prosecution, a
case they won on December 30 last year.
Klassen said he was drawn to
Winnipeg because of James Driskell, who was released on bail
last fall after stories by Free Press reporter Dan Lett detailed
doubts about his murder conviction. Driskell, who spent 12 years
in prison, is now awaiting a new trial.
"I have a passion for
injustices, and clearly I think the Driskell case is an injustice
I'd like to look into," said Klassen.
Klassen isn't sure when he'll
be financially ready to move to Winnipeg. The province of Saskatchewan
has appealed the $10-million lawsuit, and in the meantime, Klassen
and his family got a $1.5-million interim payment.
"There's 12 plaintiffs,
so we didn't receive anywhere near what I would call justice,"
he said.
Klassen is also trying to overcome
an addiction to sleeping pills he developed over the past few
years, a struggle he says has been difficult.
"I'm working with addictions
counsellors and doctors and I'm slowly trying to go off,"
he said. "It's not an easy thing to do, when you've been
abusing them."
For the time being, Klassen
will remain in the province where the trial began.
"I bought a house now
in Saskatchewan, and it's temporary. I intend to sell it,"
he said. "I'm kind of stuck here until the damages trial
in September."
After he moves to Winnipeg,
Klassen said he'd like to continue his work with Injusticebusters.com,
a website he created in 1998 with friend Sheila Steele that currently
publishes information about injustices across Canada.
In the meantime, Klassen's
story is being made into a TV movie by Toronto-based Platt Productions.
He hopes people who watch it learn something about wrongful convictions.
- Klassen sells story
for TV movie
- Won't watch drama he
had to live through
Darren Bernhardt, The StarPhoenix,
March 19, 2004
Filming will begin in one year
on a two-hour, made-for-TV movie about Richard Klassen and his
struggle for justice after being wrongly accused of child sexual
abuse.
The road ahead may also include
a TV biography of Klassen and a full-length motion picture. The
contract he inked with Platt Productions of Toronto Thursday
gives the company the right to produce the latter projects as
well.
"It's a major story --
not just about the fact that we won but how we won. There's a
lot of the human aspect to this story," Klassen said Sunday.
"It's an exciting development."
Klassen and 11 other relatives
were charged in 1991 with sexually abusing three foster children
in a case known at the time as the Scandal of the Century.
Much of the filming is expected
to take place in Saskatoon, he said. But once it is complete,
Klassen plans to say goodbye to the city.
He is moving to Winnipeg to
start his life over.
"I can't even begin to
tell you what I've been going through in the last week,"
he said, noting his attempts to kick a pill addiction that developed
from the stress of his court battles.
He's also been approached by
people in bars and restaurants and although he's grateful for
the supportive comments, he wants to leave his experience behind.
"I can't stand recognition
but I've got to get used to it, I guess, especially with a movie
coming out," he said.
He won't give up his determination
to see justice, however. In Winnipeg he plans to work on behalf
of those wrongly jailed -- in particular, James Driskell. He
was released on bail in Winnipeg on Nov. 28 after his wrongful
1991 murder conviction.
"Round 2," Klassen
said.
Before signing with Platt,
he had considered offers from studios in British Columbia, Alberta
and two in Regina. He chose Platt because the founder and president,
Phyllis Platt, is a former executive director of television arts
and entertainment for CBC Television and asked fellow CBC staff
member Harvey Cashore to be part of the project.
Cashore was with CBC's The
Fifth Estate in 2000 and worked on getting Klassen's story aired.
He's someone in whom Klassen has full trust.
"They're not going to
rush this thing and I think that's good. I didn't want some rush
story out there that's going to flop," he said. "I
just want to get the story out there and as accurate as possible.
I don't want an over-dramatization. I want a hard-hitting truthful
story to come out for the Saskatoon people. There's got to be
a learning experience from watching this thing."
He's interested in knowing
which actor will portray him in the movie but doesn't plan to
ever watch it.
"Just like The Fifth Estate,
I don't watch that either," he said.
Klassen will earn $1,500 for
handing over the rights to his story and another $20,000 when
shooting begins.
"It's not big money. Certainly,
I'm not getting rich off this. It's just to tell the story,"
he said. "I could have made more with some of the other
offers, some of which were much more generous, but I wanted to
go with the company and people I trust."
Cashore plans to take a year's
leave from CBC's Disclosure, on which he now works. But he is
still finalizing that arrangement and deferred comment until
that deal was done.
Platt's company has developed
and premiered dozens of well-known Canadian programs like The
Newsroom and DaVinci's Inquest. It also made the TV movie, Open
Heart, about underfunded health care.
Klassen was a house painter
with a Grade 7 education when, in July 1991, the RCMP arrested
him and his wife for the sexual assault of three children they
barely knew.
Ten relatives were also arrested
and branded as child abusers. Their lives changed forever.
Eventually, the charges were
stayed against all of them and they later sued for malicious
prosecution. In their arguments, the plaintiffs alleged officials
knew there was no case against them but proceeded anyway.
They won the lawsuit in late
December.
Although the government has
appealed the case, the province gave the plaintiffs an interim
payment of $1.5 million in January.
© Copyright 2004 The
StarPhoenix (Saskatoon)
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Truth can never be
told so as to be understood, and not be believ'd. William Blake, The Proverbs of Hell