In July 2025, the Superior Court of Québec authorized two people to file a class action on behalf of victims of the MKULTRA program, as well as their families and estates.
From 1948 to 1964, people were used as human test subjects in the MKULTRA research program at McGill University’s Allan Memorial Institute, under the supervision of Dr. Donald Ewen Cameron. Patients reportedly underwent experimental treatments intended to “deprogram” their brains.
By authorizing this class action, the judge is allowing patients, their immediate families, and their estates to join a class action against the Canadian government, the Royal Victoria Hospital and McGill University, home to the Allan Memorial Institute.
Physical and psychological consequences
According to the plaintiffs, the hospital and university allowed controversial and experimental treatments to be given to patients as part of a research program funded by the Canadian government. The plaintiffs want to be compensated for the physical and psychological harm caused by this program.
The plaintiffs claim that the treatment team tried to erase patients’ memories before playing them audio messages on a continuous loop while they were immobilized and sedated. To erase their memories, the treatment team allegedly put patients into artificial comas using medication or exposed them to sensory deprivation. The team also reportedly gave hallucinogenic drugs, such as LSD, and subjected patients to intensive electroshock treatments.
The plaintiffs claim that many patients experienced severe memory loss after their stay at the Allan Memorial Institute, including forgetting their native language, their spouse, or their occupation. Others reportedly suffered physical health problems, like difficulty walking, incontinence or heart problems.
Free and informed consent to healthcare
Adults generally have the right to give free and informed consent to medical care. This means that healthcare and social service institutions must get your consent before giving treatments. Before agreeing, you must receive enough information to understand the treatment and its possible effects. Your consent must be given without any pressure from the treatment team.
In this class action, the plaintiffs accuse the defendants of experimenting on patients without their consent. They say that the treatment team didn’t give patients and their families enough information about the treatments. Some treatments were also reportedly given when patients were unconscious, like the audio messages that were played on loop while patients were in a coma.
Suing together rather than individually
A class action allows one person or a group of people to file a legal claim on behalf of others who have experienced a similar issue. Before the case can go to trial, a judge must authorize the class action.
Authorizing a class action doesn’t mean that the judge agrees with the plaintiffs. At the authorization stage in the MKULTRA case, the judge only identified the alleged misconduct by the hospital, the university and the Canadian government. It’s only during the trial that the court will decide if the defendants were actually at fault and if financial compensation should be given.
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To stay informed about the progress of this class action, you can visit the website of the law firm that represents former patients, their immediate families and their estates. |