Quebec Woman’s Lawsuit Against Comedian Mocking Son Rejected by Supreme Court

January 9, 2025 TruthUSA

After a 12-year legal battle, Canada’s highest court has ruled in favor of comedian Mike Ward in a case against the family of disabled Quebec singer, Jérémy Gabriel, whom Ward had mocked in his comedy routine.

The Supreme Court of Canada has denied Sylvie Gabriel’s appeal to reverse a lower court’s decision that dismissed her lawsuit seeking compensation from Ward. The lower courts had previously ruled that the deadline to file a legal action had passed.

Jérémy Gabriel, who has Treacher Collins syndrome, gained fame in Quebec as a teenager after appearing with Celine Dion and the Pope. Ward made derogatory comments about Gabriel in his performances between 2010 and 2013, including a joke about the boy’s illness.

The case began with a 2012 human rights complaint by Gabriel and eventually reached the Supreme Court. In 2021, the Court concluded that Ward’s comments did not amount to discrimination under Quebec’s rights charter.