Jeremy Gabriel drops lawsuit against comedian Mike Ward

Jeremy Gabriel speaks to the media at the Quebec Appeal Court Wednesday, January 16, 2019 in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

Jérémy Gabriel announced that he is dropping his lawsuit against comedian Mike Ward, according to the Journal de Québec.

The Quebec daily reported that the young man says he wants to move on, after a 13-year legal saga that took him all the way to the Supreme Court. The case dealt with issues such as discrimination and defamation.

The young man recounted how he was a child, aged 13, when he was targeted by the comedian in one of his shows. Now 26, he says he's had enough and doesn't feel like talking about it anymore.

At the same time, he says he has no regrets about what happened, and that he wanted to be heard about what he went through all those years.

He also says he has no grudge against Mike Ward and is not opposed to comedians' freedom of expression.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 25, 2023.