A Calgary teacher got away with sexually assaulting her for decades, a court has heard

A Calgary teacher who died by suicide after being accused of sexually assaulting former students may have victimized hundreds of women as a teenager, according to lawyers launching a $40 million lawsuit.

The suit, filed in Calgary, is a class action brought against the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) and the estate of Michael Gregory.

Gregory was a teacher at John Ware Junior High School from 1986 to 2006.

Erin McKenzie, who said she was a victim of Gregory, said there he was known as a “cool teacher.”

“My first sexual experience was with my teacher at her house when I was 15,” McKenzie said through tears at a press conference on Monday.

He is one of three plaintiffs named in the lawsuit, which calls for the CBE to be held accountable, saying the teachers knew about Gregory's behavior but did nothing to protect the students.

Mackenzie says she grieves for her lost childhood.

“I remember watching people have fun as a teenager and never being able to relate to it because I hid it inside.”

In February, Gregory was charged with 17 counts of sexual assault and sexual exploitation of six students. He committed suicide five days later.

Despite his death, the police investigation continued and 10 more complainants and 35 new witnesses were identified, according to Calgary police.

Attorney Jonathan Denis, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of the plaintiffs, argued that the school board failed to protect the students.

“We believe CBE knew or should have known this was going on,” Denis said. “But more importantly, there was no proper process or protocol, no policy, to verify these claims.”

WATCH: Former students sue Calgary teacher's estate and school board:

“He never hid it.”

Two women who say they were victims of Gregory — Mackenzie and Kelly Schneider — spoke as named plaintiffs in the lawsuit Monday, along with Cody Bonkowski, who said she witnessed Gregory's alleged predatory behavior and tried to raise the alarm.

The story continues

According to Bonkovsky, he witnessed Grigoriy taking the girls straight to his home from the school parking lot.

“He never hides it,” Bonkowski said. “His truck was parked right outside the office. Every day he went in and out with one student, sometimes with another student.

At court, Gregory used classic grooming techniques, first paying special attention to the girls, then flirting, touching their legs or shoulders. Eventually, Gregory subjected his victims to physical sex, some of which lasted for years, the complaint alleges.

“We didn't have a vote”

According to Schneider, she was 14 when Gregory had sex with her in 1989.

Gregory took Schneider to lunch during school hours in the 9th grade. It was at that time that sexual relations between the two of them would take place, he appealed to the court.

After learning that Gregory had given their daughters gifts, including a poster he had signed, “Love, Mike,” Schneider's parents took their concerns to the junior high's vice principal.

That person — a friend of Gregory's — refused and settled the matter by transferring Schneider to another class, according to the lawsuit.

“At 14, we didn't have a voice,” Schneider said. “And because it didn't go anywhere in 1989, that set the tone and stage for him to get away with it until 2006.”

“I started to trust him implicitly”

Ten years after Schneider's experiment, Mackenzie says Gregory's goal was one.

At the time, McKenzie says she was vulnerable, struggling with self-harm and an eating disorder that helped Gregory.

“I started to trust him implicitly,” he said.

The lawsuit alleges that over the course of several months, Gregory groomed her for regular physical intercourse.

“I'm 34 now and it's affected every relationship I've had in my life.”

Mackenzie cut off contact with Gregory after he called her to take her own life for revealing her relationship to another student.

While she was at university, she was contacted by an Alberta Teachers Association (ATA) investigator who wanted to speak with her about Gregory's behaviour. He did not give a statement.

In 2006, an ATA investigation into his interactions with students resulted in the suspension of Gregory's teaching license, and he left the profession that year.

The Calgary Board of Education has not commented and says it has not been officially presented.

The board said it would “respond through appropriate legal channels” once this happens.