Gilbert Rozon, Just for Laughs founder, begins testimony in sex-assault civil trial

Just for Laughs founder Gilbert Rozon has begun his testimony in his civil trial on allegations of sexual assault.

Rozon, 70, testified for nearly an hour at the courthouse in Montreal on Monday afternoon, giving a lengthy recounting of his childhood and the early stages of his career in show business.

His testimony is expected to continue over several days in the coming weeks in a Quebec Superior Court civil trial that began in December.

The Quebec impresario is being sued by nine women for a total of nearly $14 million in damages over allegations of sexual assault and misconduct.

All of the women suing him have testified about their experiences and faced cross-examination. The case has heard from dozens of witnesses, including from seven other women who have also claimed that Rozon sexually abused them.

Rozon has always denied the allegations against him, though he did not address the allegations during his testimony on Monday.

The civil lawsuit is the latest in a winding legal battle that began as a class action but was converted into individual suits after a 2020 Quebec Court of Appeal ruling.

Also in 2020, a Quebec court judge found Rozon not guilty of rape and indecent assault connected to events alleged to have taken place in 1980 involving Annick Charette, who obtained a court order to make her identity public.