Gilbert Rozon defamation lawsuit against 2 women comes to an end

Gilbert Rozon, founder of the Just for Laughs festival, leaves the Quebec Court of Appeals in Montreal, Thursday, May 16, 2019. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press)

The defamation lawsuit filed by Just for Laughs founder Gilbert Rozon will no longer proceed.

Rozon filed the lawsuit against Radio-Canada host Pénélope McQuade and Julie Snyder, a host on Noovo, after they each made public allegations about sexual assault in 2020. Rozon responded by suing the two women for defamation and sought $450,000 in damages, accusing them of making “inflammatory and accusatory” statements with the intent to harm him.

He continues to deny their allegations.

On Thursday morning, La Presse reported that Rozon withdrew his lawsuit against the women after reaching an out-of-court settlement in recent days.

Snyder and McQuade contested the lawsuit by filing a counterclaim for abuse of process.

Concurrent with those proceedings, a civil trial took place pitting Rozon against nine plaintiffs who accused him of sexual assault. He is being sued for nearly $14 million in damages.

Snyder and McQuade are not among the nine women, but they did testify during that trial, which concluded last fall. A judge is expected to render a decision soon.

“The individuals involved have already had the opportunity to testify and present their version of the facts before the Honourable Judge Chantal Tremblay. It does not seem to me either desirable or appropriate to mobilize the judicial system and public resources once again to repeat accounts that have already been heard,” Rozon said in a press release.

Snyder responds

In a post on her social media accounts, Snyder said Thursday that “the parties have decided to settle the case.”

“I hope that the court resources will be freed up to be used for other cases in which the victims have not yet been heard,” she wrote in the post.

“Finally, I would like to express my solidarity with all survivors of sexual violence. To those who recognize themselves in these issues: you are not alone, and your voice deserves to be heard with respect and humanity.”

Les Productions Jacques K. Primeau, representing McQuade, also addressed the outcome of the defamation suit.

“For me, this is an important chapter coming to a close, and I feel an indescribable sense of relief,” she said in a statement, according to Noovo Info.

“But this is not the case for all the victims in our society, and I remain as supportive of their suffering as I was on the first day, and I admire their courage in bringing to light what they have endured.”

With files from Noovo Info and The Canadian Press