Lawsuit brought by Gilbert Rozon | Julie Snyder and Pénélope McQuade’s request dismissed on appeal

Gilbert Rozon’s lawsuit claiming $450,000 from Julie Snyder and Pénélope McQuade for defamation will go ahead. The request of the two facilitators to end the procedures which fall under “a SLAPP”, according to them, was dismissed in the Court of Appeal on Friday.

Florence Morin Martel
The Press

In their request for a stay of proceedings, Julie Snyder and Pénélope McQuade judged that the main objective of the prosecution of Gilbert Rozon was to “limit their freedom of expression” or that of other alleged victims. Court of Appeal judge Mark Schrager ruled that Mr. Rozon’s lawsuit did not fall under the SLAPP. “Several lawsuits alleging sexual assault have been filed against [lui] after the defamation action was filed,” the judge argued.

“It is difficult for me to conclude, on the face of it, that the freedom of expression of the applicants or even of others is being limited,” argued Mr. Schrager. Julie Snyder and Pénélope McQuade first asked for the lawsuit to be stopped in the Superior Court of Quebec. The request was rejected by Judge Yves Poirier on January 25, who said that it had “no reasonable chance of success”.

Gilbert Rozon, former boss of Just for Laughs, was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women in 2017. In his defamation lawsuit, he is claiming $450,000 from the two hosts for damaging his reputation and making comments that he considers defamatory during the broadcast The week of the 4 Julies, in September 2020.

Host Julie Snyder and her guest Penelope McQuade had alleged that the humor mogul had committed non-consensual sexual acts towards them. In his lawsuit against the two women, Mr. Rozon considers that he was the subject of “a planned, orchestrated and staged attack”.

With Alice Girard-BosséThe Press