Just for Laughs founder goes to police after altercation at sex assault civil trial

MONTRÉAL — The founder of the Just for Laughs comedy festival says he has filed a police complaint following an altercation at his civil trial.

Ex-comedy mogul Gilbert Rozon is being sued for nearly $14 million by nine women alleging sexual assault.

Actress Danie Frenette, one of the plaintiffs, hurled insults at Rozon during a break in the trial on Thursday.

Rozon told reporters he filed a complaint with police against Frenette’s husband over a physical altercation that allegedly occurred outside the courtroom.

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.