Quebec Court Dismisses Jean Charest’s $700K Claim for Abuse of Process
A judge has dismissed former premier Jean Charest’s claim of $700,000 against the Quebec government for abuse of process related to a corruption investigation targeting him and his party.
This ruling, made in Superior Court this week, follows last year’s decision to award the former premier $385,000 for invasion of privacy, a ruling that the Quebec government did not contest.
The case stemmed from leaks to the media in 2017 about an investigation by the province’s anti-corruption police into alleged illegal financing of the Liberal party during Charest’s time as premier.
Although Charest was never charged in the investigation, he claimed that the leaks damaged his reputation and had a personal impact on him.
After receiving $385,000 in April 2023, Charest sought an additional $700,000, alleging that the province engaged in delaying tactics during his invasion of privacy lawsuit and acted abusively throughout.
However, Justice Gregory Moore concluded that the province did not behave abusively in the case and did not unreasonably delay responses to document requests.
Related Stories
Mr. Charest’s spokesperson Laurence Toth declined to comment on the ruling.
