Gilbert Rozon Faces Civil Trial Over Sexual Assault Allegations by Nine Women

The Just for Laughs founder is accused of being a 'predator' as plaintiffs seek nearly $14 million in damages.

The civil trial against Gilbert Rozon, founder of the Just for Laughs comedy festival, began today in Montreal's Superior Court.
Nine women have accused Rozon of sexual assault and are collectively seeking just under $14 million in damages.
Rozon's lawyer argued the allegations are an attempt to cast him as 'Quebec's Harvey Weinstein,' claiming consensual relations with three of the women and denying any wrongdoing.
The case follows a 2020 Quebec Court of Appeal decision that converted an earlier class-action lawsuit into individual suits.
Rozon was acquitted in 2020 on separate criminal charges of rape and indecent assault related to an incident from 1980.