A man who claims to have been assaulted by Jasmin Roy after a show in Rouyn-Noranda in 2001 is suing the comedian for $500,000.
• Read also – “Say his name”: Jasmin Roy loses anonymity before the Supreme Court and responds
Jean-François Robillard claims that the founder of the Jasmin Roy Foundation, which fights bullying, allegedly sexually assaulted him in a bar in Rouyn-Noranda while he was on tour.
During his show, Jasmin Roy went to the bar, where Mr. Robillard was sitting, and sucked his ear, says one in the lawsuit filed Friday at the Montreal courthouse.
This makes the plaintiff “extremely uncomfortable with this incursion into his privacy”, we can read.
After the show, Mr. Robillard went to the washrooms. The comedian and host then pushed open the door of the cabin the plaintiff was in and blocked the exit, according to the lawsuit.
“[Jasmin Roy] masturbates in front of the applicant then stuck in the cabin. Defendant ejaculates on Plaintiff who freezes; he feels paralyzed”, can we read.
- A few days before these new developments, Jasmin Roy gave his version of the facts to Sophie Durocher’s show via QUB-radio :
It was not until 2020, during a wave of denunciations on social networks, that Mr. Robillard realized “the seriousness of sexual assault”.
“It is no longer possible for him to live in silence, to repress the sexual assault experienced and ignore the consequences,” it says.
Mr. Robillard, 46, then published a post on his social networks where he revealed that he had been sexually assaulted by Mr. Roy. A few days later, he received a formal notice from the latter.
Mr. Robillard also filed a complaint with the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal for this event. However, no charges were brought in the file, “given the lack of evidence”.
Mr. Robillard is therefore claiming $500,000 from Jasmin Roy, including $300,000 for the assault and $50,000 for the defamation he allegedly suffered.
Defamation
Last week, the Supreme Court denied Jasmin Roy the right to anonymity in another case that pitted him against the man who put him on the online “Say his name” list.
The actor had tried to maintain his anonymity before the Superior Court in 2021, the Court of Appeals in 2022, then finally the Supreme Court, in the event of a lawsuit for defamation.
Following this decision, Jasmin Roy gave numerous interviews where he notably said he was the victim of “harassment” from Jean-François Robillard.
“These remarks are not in the public interest and were shared by the defendant for the sole purpose of harming the plaintiff,” said Mr.e Virginie Dufresne-Lemire, Mr. Robillard’s lawyer, in her application.
Countersuit
A few hours after the filing of the lawsuit against him, Jasmin Roy indicated in a press release that he was undertaking a defamation action on his side against Jean-François Robillard, the administrators of the “Say his name” list and their lawyers.
“My client categorically denies the alleged allegations since he claims not to know Jean-François Robillard. My client trusts that the facts will be reestablished legally in a courtroom, and not in the public square,” said Mr.e Josée Therrien, Jasmin Roy’s lawyer.