Québec City court set to hold hearing over $15.7 million lawsuit filed against CHL, QMJHL and teams: Report

A Quebec City court will hold a hearing over a $15.7 million lawsuit against the Canadian Hockey League and the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League.

Former Chicoutimi Saguenéens player Carl Latulippe filed a lawsuit in April of 2023 as he alleged he and other rookie players were beaten with bars of soap in towels and were forced to watch pornography and masturbate on a team bus in the presence of adult coaches, according to TSN's Rick Westhead.

Latulippe was a first-round pick in 1994 and quit the team just two weeks into the season due to the hazing.

However, the media at the time reported he was homesick and missed his girlfriend. Latulippe's allegations have been corroborated by a teammate.

Now, after the lawsuit, Westhead reported that it will be heard in court in March:

"A judge in a Québec City court is scheduled to hear arguments on March 19 about whether the case should proceed as a class action. (The QMJHL has said it hired a lawyer to investigate Latulippe's allegations, but has not committed to making the investigation findings public.)"

After playing just six games for Chicoutimi and quitting the team, he was traded to the Drummondville Voltigeurs. There, too, he dealt with abuse and hazing, as he claimed that Voltigeurs rookies were required to cover themselves in shampoo to make it difficult for veterans to grab and assault them in the shower.

In his career in the QMJHL, Carl Latulippe played in 55 games, recording 18 points.

Class action lawsuit would cover 1969 until the present

Carl Latulippe's class action lawsuit is set to represent "all hockey players who have experienced abuse while they were minors and playing in the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League, starting from July 1, 1969."

His lawsuit goes after the QMJHL and the CHL and seeks $650,000 in damages, including pain, suffering and humiliation, as well as lost productivity and therapy. The other $15 million is to be shared among other alleged victims.

Following his lawsuit, the QMJHL released a statement on the matter announcing it would be investigating the matter.

"The QMJHL takes allegations of maltreatment very seriously and condemns the conduct of any perpetrators or teams that have acted inappropriately and outside the expectations and standards of the QMJHL," wrote Maxime Blouin, the league's communications director.

Carl Latulippe claims he hasn't been able to step foot in a hockey arena since then, and also won't allow his kids to play the game due to what he experienced.