Just For Laughs founder Gilbert Rozon was ordered to pay $880,000 to eight of the nine plaintiffs.

A group of women who sued one of Quebec’s most powerful journalists for sexual harassment won a legal victory Tuesday, when they were awarded nearly $900,000 in what one of their lawyers called a “full marathon” legal battle.

Gilbert Rozon, the founder of Just for Laughs, was ordered to pay a total of more than $880,000 to eight of the nine women who accused him of assault and sexual misconduct.

Quebec Superior Court Judge Chantal Tremblay awarded the damages in a written decision released Tuesday, following a 10-month civil trial.

The women suing Rozon were seeking $14-million in local court for events that occurred between 1980 and 2004, during which he founded an international comedy festival.

The decision ends a phase in one of the province’s most high-profile cases arising from the #MeToo movement.

After the verdict, several women and their advocates told reporters that the victory was not just for them, but for other women and the community.

“In his ruling, Judge Tremblay concluded that Gilbert Rozon is not only a liar, but a sex offender,” attorney Bruce W. Johnston told a news conference.

“The sentences are a great victory not only for the eight clients whose actions are preserved by the judgment, but also for the other victims of Gilbert Rozon who are not in front of the court, for victims of sexual violence in general, for the public and for accountability.”

Just for Laughs founder Gilbert Rozon says his life has been ruined by allegations of sexual harassment

Annick Charette, who accused Rozon of sexually abusing her in 1980 when she was 20 years old, was awarded $95,000. “Today, for me, the word justice finally means something. My voice, our voice, that was lost in the long corridors (of the courtroom) … finally broke the wall of silence.”

Rozon indicated in a news release that he and his attorneys will review the decision, which is several hundred pages long, before commenting further. “Mr. Rozon will make a decision later on what action he plans to take in response to these rulings, including the possibility of an appeal,” he wrote.

Rozon had said that he had consensual relationships with three of the nine women, and denied the other allegations against him, saying that his accusers had formed a conspiracy against him for the purpose of getting rich. He sued the four women for defamation, seeking $275,000 each in damages.

Tremblay denied all four of the charges, and was ordered to pay the women’s legal fees.

“Therefore this judgment aims to close this long case and confirm that a breach of personal integrity, when proven, requires a legal response based on the magnitude of the harm caused,” said Tremblay in his decision.

Following the allegations, Rozon resigned from Just for Laughs in 2017 and later sold the company.

Nine women – Patricia Tulasne, Lyne Charlebois, Anne-Marie Charette, Annick Charette, Sophie Moreau, Danie Frenette, Guylaine Courcelles, Mary Sicari, and Martine Roy – announced their allegations when they filed their charges against Rozon. All but Sicari were awarded damages in Tuesday’s ruling.

It is only one of a series of police complaints against Rozon that resulted in a criminal case. In that case, he was found not guilty of charges of rape and indecent assault related to incidents that allegedly occurred in 1980 involving Annick Charette.

Prosecutors declined to file criminal charges in 13 other complaints.

On Tuesday, Tremblay found that the burden of proof for the civil case had been met.

“With the exception of one, each of them has shown by a preponderance of evidence that they were sexually abused by Mr. Rozon,” read his decision. “In these circumstances, the opening of their right to punitive damages is not in doubt, since he violated their rights to security, integrity and dignity without law, recognized by sections 1 and 4 of the Charter.”

Johnston said Tuesday that his clients have had a “marathon of challenges” in their years-long battle against Rozon. After the criminal complaints were not prosecuted, many in the group were part of a class action trial that was initially approved in 2018 but later denied on appeal.

He said the civil case affirms several important legal points, including upholding the Civil Code’s new restrictions on questions in sexual assault cases. The changes – approved before the trial starts in December 2024 – prevent questions from lawyers suggesting a victim’s past sexual assault or their decision to stay in contact with an accused abuser undermines their credibility.

Martine Roy, one of the women who was awarded damages, said she remained silent with feelings of shame and anxiety for years surrounding her attack on Rozon.

Roy said: “This victory does not erase my past, but confirming the truth allows me to regain the strength I had lost.

Roy paid tribute to other women who have spoken out about abuse, as well as those who have not and who see their stories broadcast in hers.

“Without a legal decision, this will always be a moment when women choose to speak out collectively,” she said. “That alone brings change – our voices are heard,” he said.