Province Of Ontario Files Lawsuit Against Maple Leafs Owner

The province of Ontario filed a C$1.5M lawsuit against Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, “demanding it repay the costs to treat victims of the sex abuse scandal at Maple Leaf Gardens” in the mid-’90s, according to Rick Westhead of the TORONTO STAR. The statement of claim alleges that MLSE “remains responsible for the abuses that took place at Maple Leaf Gardens.” The statement adds that by “holding up its hockey team as ‘a model of virtue to young male adults who are interested in hockey, sports and sporting arenas, [MLSE] promoted its arena and hockey team with the intention of attracting young male adults to its premises for the purpose of accumulating profit for itself and its hockey team.’” Westhead notes the scandal began when victim Martin Kruze, who later committed suicide, brought forward his story of “repeatedly suffering sexual abuse” at Maple Leaf Gardens. About 90 more victims came forward after Kruze, and a mediator settled dozens of sexual abuse suits for “what was believed to more than” C$5M. MLSE has not filed a statement of defense; an MLSE spokesperson said that the company “has not been served with the lawsuit and declined to comment.” MLSE’s insurer, Royal & SunAlliance Insurance Co., is also listed as a defendant in the suit (TORONTO STAR, 1/5).