General damages of $525,000 for historical child sexual abuse was upheld as not manifestly excessive where the abuse was horrific and life-altering, notwithstanding that comparable awards had ranged from $200,000 to $400,000. The Court observed that the destructive impact of child sexual abuse is becoming better understood, suggesting that existing comparator awards should not constrain future assessments. A trial judge is entitled to draw comparisons between an abuse victim's life trajectory and that of their siblings. A party who abandons an argument at trial cannot raise it for the first time on appeal.
The full text is available to signed-in members, including the 5 later cases that cite this judgment.