Just for Laughs founders sexual assault retrial starts Monday [Video]

Just for Laughs festival founder Gilbert Rozon will be back in court on Monday for accusations of sexual assault and rape. Nine individual lawsuits were filed against him, and were combined into a single trial at Rozon’s request.

The amount claimed in all lawsuits totals $13.8 million.

The trial, scheduled to run until March 28, 2025, promises to be of historic importance.

Juripop’s Executive Director, Sophie Gagnon, notes the “quite symbolic” nature of the case in Quebec. “These are the women who started the @Moiaussi wave in Quebec, and until now, these allegations have never been proven,” she recalls.

She adds that this is the first time the new law aimed at countering the non-consensual sharing of intimate images and improving civil protection and support for victims of violence, adopted on Nov. 28, will be applied in court. It also provides a “presumption of irrelevance of evidence based on myths and prejudices” in matters of sexual and domestic violence.

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