Boxing champion Pascal sues Montreal police for $2M

Former boxing champion Jean Pascal has launched a $2 million lawsuit against the SPVM and two of its officers.

The resident of Lorraine, on Montreal’s north shore, was acquitted this February of a charge of failing to provide a breathalyzer sample after he was pulled over in the middle of the night on Nov. 25, 2022.

At trial, the judge said witness accounts and videos introduced as evidence showed Pascal did indeed provide a sample, despite claims to the contrary by the officers involved.

Pascal claims that the publicity surrounding his arrest and the officers’ behaviour made him lose nearly $1 million in sponsorship contracts.

In the lawsuit, Pascal claims that he was asked to provide a breath sample after making an illegal right turn on Ste-Catherine Street at the corner of Metcalfe Street.

He said he maintains a healthy lifestyle and consumes very little alcohol because he’s a professional athlete, and had no qualms about providing a breath sample because he knew it would test negative.

Pascal states in the lawsuit that he was stressed out by the situation and felt intimidated by the officer’s hostile attitude, which escalated when roughly ten additional officers arrived as back-up.

The suit quotes Pascal as feeling like a “circus clown” and a “big catch” for the officers, who decided to arrest him and seize his car, despite his cooperation.

Pascal claims the officers filed their report, falsely claiming that he refused to provide a breath sample, and that officers communicated among themselves using the Signal app on their phones, which makes the exchanges impossible to track and use as evidence in the case.

Pascal is claiming $885,000 in lost revenues following the publication of the charges. He seeks $6,000 for the loss of his car for a month, because it was seized following his arrest.

He is also seeking:

• $200,000 for damages to his reputation
• $100,000 for loss of dignity
• $125,000 in moral damages
• $17,000 in legal fees, and
• $200,000 in punitive damages.

Pascal could not be reached for comment for this story. The SPVM declined to comment because the case is currently before the courts.

A trial date has not yet been set, and the claims have not been proven in court.