Hankey accuser files lawsuit against universities, Anglican Church, estate

A man who says he was sexually assaulted by a former university professor and priest is suing two Halifax universities, a body of the Anglican Church and the estate of the man he says assaulted him.

Glenn Johnson claims Wayne John Hankey, a defrocked priest and longtime professor at the University of King's College and Dalhousie University, sexually assaulted him in 1977 and 1978, when Johnson was 14.

The civil lawsuit, filed last month in the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, names the board of governors at King's, Dalhousie University, the Anglican Diocesan Synod of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island and Hankey's estate.

Hankey, 77, was facing three criminal trials for charges of sexual assault, gross indecency and indecent assault when he died in early February, about a month before the first trial. He had pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Johnson was not among the criminal complainants. He came forward to police last year, but they did not lay charges in his case.

Johnson's lawyer, Liam O'Reilly of Wagners Law Firm in Halifax, said although the lawsuit is being pursued as a single claim, the firm could pursue it as a class action if that becomes more advantageous.

The lawsuit claims Johnson met Hankey in 1977 or 1978 through another Anglican minister named Wayne Lynch, who was later convicted of sexually abusing Johnson.

Johnson was interested in pursuing higher education and felt a calling to become a minister.

Hankey, who was introduced to Johnson as a minister, professor, co-ordinator and director of the foundation year program at King's and a special lecturer at Dalhousie, "enticed" him to visit the university campuses and used his position of authority and trust to convince Johnson's parents to allow him to go with him and Lynch.

The lawsuit said Hankey promised he would be able to use his position at King's, Dalhousie and the Synod to ensure Johnson would get into the schools and become a minister once he was of age.

Johnson stayed with the two men for about three days at the President's Lodge at King's, where Hankey allegedly "stupefied the plaintiff with alcohol and sexually assaulted him," according to the statement of claim.

"At all the material times, the plaintiff was made to believe that Hankey's sexual exploitation of him was expected as part of his admission to higher education with King's and Dalhousie, and as a prerequisite to become an ordained minister with the Anglican Church with the Synod," it said.

The lawsuit claims King's, Dalhousie and the Synod were responsible and liable for Hankey's actions, as they had a duty to protect Johnson while he was in Hankey's care.

The statement of claim also said King's, Dalhousie and Synod were negligent because they knew or ought to have known Hankey "did not have the requisite qualifications or character" for his position and knew or ought to have known that Hankey had "displayed pedophilic tendencies."