**Correction: The original version of this piece indicated the lawsuit was filed by multiple victims. The lawsuit was filed by one of Heerema's alleged victims on behalf of the proposed class members.**
An alleged victim of sexual abuse at the hands of Philip Heerema, a former staff member of the Young Canadians, have filed a class action lawsuit claiming the Calgary Stampede Foundation was aware of the allegations of inappropriate conduct and failed to protect the victims.
The lawsuit, which was filed in April of 2017 by a man who had been a member of the Young Canadians, claims sexual exploitation complaints against Heerema were brought to the attention of officials with the Young Canadians and the Calgary Stampede Foundation but the concerns were not investigated adequately.
Heerema is currently on trial facing 20 charges including sexual assault and the making of child pornography in connection with the allegations from former Young Canadians who were underage at the time of the alleged offences. The accused had pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Heerema’s trial is scheduled to resume on Tuesday, January 23.
