Claude Paquin, a Quebec resident who was wrongly convicted of a double murder and later acquitted after 41 years, has come to a multimillion-dollar agreement with Montreal and the provincial government. The settlement was jointly announced by the three parties on Friday, with the City of Montreal and the Attorney General of Quebec expressing their hopes that the resolution would enable Mr. Paquin to move forward from the challenging period in his life without the need for a lengthy trial.
Initially found guilty in 1983 of two counts of first-degree murder in relation to the deaths of Ronald Bourgouin and Sylvie Revah in 1978, Paquin served 18 years in prison before being released on full parole in 2001 under strict conditions that persisted for the following 23 years. In 2024, the federal justice minister ordered a new trial, citing fresh information indicating a probable miscarriage of justice. Paquin, who is now 83 years old, was acquitted on November 6, 2024.
Paquin credited his legal team from Projet Innocence Québec for his acquittal, highlighting the pivotal role they played in his case. The case against Paquin heavily relied on the testimony of Bernard Provençal, a prominent police informant, but evidence uncovered by Projet Innocence Québec over time raised doubts about his credibility.
Represented by attorneys from Woods LLP, Paquin filed a multimillion-dollar civil lawsuit in Quebec Superior Court in May 2025 against the City of Montreal and the Attorney General of Quebec, alleging failures by their agents, including the Montreal police, the Sûreté du Québec, and the Quebec Crown prosecutor’s office. The lawsuit claimed that police and the prosecution were aware as early as 1983 that the informant’s testimony was false and that any physical evidence linking Paquin to the crime had been fabricated or tampered with.
Described as not just a miscarriage of justice but as the narrative of a life taken away, Paquin’s lawyers argued in the lawsuit that his existence had been seized, extending well beyond the confines of prison. The lawsuit detailed Paquin’s unprecedented unjustified deprivation of liberty in Quebec.
Although the lawsuit sought damages exceeding $89 million, the exact amount remained undisclosed due to a confidentiality provision in the settlement agreement. As the lawsuit was resolved outside of court, the claims were not litigated, and the parties involved indicated they would refrain from making further statements on the matter.