Already under the influence of six civil lawsuits brought by women who accuse him of having sexually assaulted them in the past, Gilbert Rozon is again sued by three other women, including his own sister-in-law at the time, who claim this time a total of $4.5 million.
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“For almost 30 years, she has suffered the consequences of these attacks which have profoundly altered the course of her life”, can we read in the civil action brought by Martine Roy.
The woman, who was the sister of the wife of the fallen humor mogul, claims to have been “brutally raped” in a dressing room by Rozon, while working as assistant director at the Just for Laughs Museum. Two years earlier, she claims to have been forcibly kissed by the founder of Just for Laughs.
Not the only one
Marylena Sicari, for her part, claims to have been sexually assaulted and harassed “countless times” by Rozon between 1988 and 2004, while working under him. Saying that she had already been sexually humiliated by her boss in front of around 150 people, she had finally left her job following a burnout.
“It put an end to the predation of the defendant towards him”, is it indicated in the civil lawsuit, brought like the two others by the firm Trudel Johnston & Lespérance.
Guylaine Courcelles was an employee of the Just for Laughs Festival. In 1987, when she was 22, she claims to have been sexually assaulted by her big boss, who wanted to “meet her to get to know her better”.
“She is in shock and she feels deep disgust,” says the court document, after describing the alleged sexual assault. In the days and weeks that followed, she felt a lot of anger and deep unease. She avoids speaking to him, but he addresses her as if nothing had happened.
Rozon was “surprised”
Mme Courcelles indicates that afterwards, when Rozon asked her why she seemed to be running away from him, she would have replied: “You are fooling me!”
“He seems surprised”, is it indicated.
The woman would have explained the situation to him, which would have made Rozon shed a tear.
“He says he doesn’t remember doing that,” the civil suit says. He does not deny that it happened and, with a repentant face, says something to her like: “Then I better understand your attitude of the last times towards me.”
These three new civil lawsuits are therefore in addition to six others, brought in the last two years against the former tycoon of humor. Originally, Rozon was the target of a class action brought by the women’s collective Les Courageuses, which demanded more than $ 10 million for the sexual crimes he allegedly committed during his career. Except that the Court of Appeal had rejected the appeal, affirming that each woman should rather pursue it individually.
He denies
Since this decision, Rozon has occasionally faced new legal proceedings in the civil chamber. Added together, they total $13.35 million to date.
Rozon, for her part, has always denied any sexual misconduct. He had been charged with rape in criminal court, but had been acquitted due to reasonable doubt.
In civil, he had counter-attacked the civil lawsuit of actress Patricia Tulasne by claiming $ 150,000 from her.
At the same time, he sued in civil for $450,000 the hosts Julie Snyder and Pénélope McQuade, who had publicly claimed to be his victims during a TV show. The week of the 4 Julies. The two women counter-attacked, the first accusing him of wanting to publicly humiliate and gag her, the other accusing him of being responsible for his own misfortune.