Montréal psychiatric hospital pays $1M to 230 mistreated patients

Montreal's Philippe Pinel Institute has agreed to pay $1 million in damages to be shared among more than 200 patients who said they were treated like criminals during their stay at the mental hospital between 1999 and 2002. [...]

The lawsuit was led by a mental health advocacy group, L'En-Droit de Laval. It was confirmed by both sides in February that the $1-million out of court agreement had been reached, and it was ratified by Judge Marc de Wever on Wednesday.

"It's a double victory for us because Institute Pinel recognizes their mistake about the treatment. They treated the people like criminals — even people who may be sick or strange or marginal get rights," said Michel Labelle, a spokesman for the group.