Canadian Parents Sued Over Fire Set By Kids; Mom Says Suit Will Financially Ruin Her

An insurance company is suing the parents of two boys who set fire to a school for $4 million, and one mother says the suit will destroy her.

I'm a single parent. I have debt to pay, and where the hell do I get four million goddamned dollars?" the woman said, adding she has no insurance herself.

The woman's son and another boy ? aged 12 and 15 at the time of the 2002 blaze ? pleaded guilty to setting Caglary's Ecole Queen's Park on fire. About three-quarters of the building, which was being renovated at the time, was destroyed.

The boys received 12 months probation.

In its statement of claim, the insurance company for the Greater Southern Francophone Public School District says the boys' parents had a duty to properly supervise the youths and teach them fire safety.

Lawyer Greg Rodin says the insurance company will have to prove the parents were negligent.

No statement of defence has been filed.

The Greater Southern Francophone Public School District says the lawsuit was launched by the insurance company and has nothing to do with the board.