Nunavut court postpones proceedings in lawsuit involving ex-teacher

A civil lawsuit launched by former students of convicted sex offender Ed Horne against the Nunavut and Northwest Territories governments may get settled out of court.

In a statement issued Monday,the N.W.T. government said the parties have asked the Nunavut Court of Justice to postpone proceedings "in light of substantial progress."

The court has agreed to the government's request, according to the statement.

About 70 people, all former students of Horne from the 1970s and 1980s, launched their lawsuit in 2004,alleging the N.W.T. and Nunavut governments failed to protect them against Horne, who had taught in various eastern Arctic communities when they were children.

Horne, now 65, pleaded guilty in 1987 to eight sex-related charges involving 24 former students. He was convicted in 2000 on another 20 charges.

In a third trial last year, a judge found Horne not guilty of 10 sex-related charges involvingnew allegations from four men.

In 2002, the N.W.T. and Nunavut governments reached a $21-million out-of-court settlement with more than 82 of Horne's former students.

Nunavut was included in the lawsuit because it was part of the Northwest Territories before 1999, when it became its own territory.

In April 2008, Nunavut court Justice Beverly Browne set a tentative trial date for February 2009.

But since late last year, all parties involved havebeen ina judicially assisted mediation process to tryto settle the claims out of court.