A woman claiming she was a patient of a bogus nurse now in prison is suing the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) and a surgical centre, alleging negligence.
The claimant, who Glacier Media is referring to as YW for privacy reasons, named VIHA and the VIHA-operated South Island Surgical Centre as defendants in a Jan. 26 B.C. Supreme Court notice of civil claim.
YW said she went to the centre where Brigitte Cleroux was part of a medical team performing a procedure.
She said in the claim she would not have consented to Cleroux’s involvement in the plaintiff’s medical care had she known Cleroux was not licensed or qualified to practice as a nurse.
Cleroux passed herself off as a nurse at B.C. Women’s Hospital and View Royal Surgical Centre. She was sentenced in B.C. Supreme Court to seven years in prison on Friday.
Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes said the 52-year-old Cleroux “profoundly violated” the victims who had placed themselves in the care of the medical system, at times when they were unconscious or extremely vulnerable.
The new claim said YW was told Jan. 4, 2022, by VIHA or the centre that Cleroux had been involved in her care.
Then, on March 31, 2022, they told her Cleroux had not been involved in her care. In February 2023 the RCMP told YW that Cleroux had been involved in her care.
The claim said YW believes Cleroux was involved in the medical procedure, administering medication and intravenous fluid, providing direction on post-operative care and making discharge decisions.
YW asserts she has suffered psychological distress, anxiety and depression as a result of the situation.
Further, YW said she has lost trust in the health-care system and health-care professionals.
The claim asserts that Brigitte Cleroux, now in prison in Ontario, was employed by the surgical centre in November 2020 but was not licenced to do so, having provided false documentation and credentials to gain employment.
The claim alleges the defendants should have known Cleroux’s documentation was false. It said the B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives could have verified or debunked the credentials had the defendants checked.
The claim said the defendants had an obligation to confirm qualifications.
YW is claiming general, aggravated, punitive and special damages as well as compensation for past and future earning capacity.
None of the allegations has been proven in court.
VIHA did not operate the clinic at the time Cleroux was there.
The health authority said it cannot comment on the lawsuit as it is before the courts.
Dozens of lawsuits have been filed as a result of Cleroux pretending to be a health-care professional.
