Just for Laughs founder goes to police after altercation at sex assault civil trial

Gilbert Rozon, founder of the Just for Laughs comedy festival, speaks to reporters at the Montreal courthouse on June 2, 2015. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi)

The founder of the Just for Laughs comedy festival says he has filed a police complaint following an altercation at his civil trial.

Ex-comedy mogul Gilbert Rozon is being sued for nearly $14 million by nine women alleging sexual assault.

Actress Danie Frenette, one of the plaintiffs, hurled insults at Rozon during a break in the trial on Thursday.

Rozon told reporters he filed a complaint with police against Frenette’s husband over a physical altercation that allegedly occurred outside the courtroom.

The civil lawsuit is the latest in a winding legal battle that began as a class action but was converted into individual suits after a 2020 Quebec Court of Appeal ruling.

Also in 2020, a Quebec court judge found Rozon not guilty of rape and indecent assault connected to events alleged to have taken place in 1980 involving Annick Charette.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025.