Quebec Major Junior Hockey League faces proposed $15 million class action lawsuit over alleged hazing

A former player in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League has filed a class action lawsuit request for more than $15 million against the league and its teams for alleged hazing abuse.

Carl Latulippe played in Quebec’s top youth league from 1994-1996 and claims he was abused during hazing rituals with two teams.

Latulippe, 45, says veteran Chicoutimi Saguenéens players forced him to undress and masturbate in front of his teammates on a team bus, with the full knowledge of the coaches.

His request for a class action lawsuit says he was later traded to the Drummondville Voltigeurs and was abused by members of that team during hazing rituals.

The request to start the class action lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Quebec City, and a Quebec Superior Court judge must authorize the case before it can proceed.

The request is directed at the Quebec league, its member franchises and its umbrella organization, the Canadian Hockey League, and seeks $650,000 in damages for Latulippe and $15 million to be shared among other alleged victims.

The class action lawsuit seeks to represent “all hockey players who have suffered abuse as minors and played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League on or after July 1, 1969.”