Claude Paquin, a man from Quebec who was wrongly convicted of a double murder and later acquitted after 41 years, has reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with Montreal and the provincial government. The agreement was announced in a joint statement by all three parties to avoid a lengthy trial scheduled for this fall.
Paquin was convicted in 1983 for the murders of Ronald Bourgouin and Sylvie Revah in 1978. After spending 18 years in prison and being on strict parole for the following 23 years, new evidence led to a retrial being ordered by the federal justice minister in 2024. Subsequently, Paquin, now 83, was acquitted on November 6, 2024.
Paquin, represented by lawyers from Woods LLP, filed a civil lawsuit in May 2025 against the City of Montreal and the Attorney General of Quebec, alleging misconduct by law enforcement and the prosecution. The lawsuit claimed that authorities were aware of false testimony and fabricated evidence since 1983. Paquin’s lawyers characterized the case as not just a miscarriage of justice but as a narrative of a life stolen and an unjustly prolonged sentence.
The lawsuit sought damages of over $89 million, although the exact settlement amount remains confidential. As the lawsuit was settled out of court, the claims were not subjected to legal scrutiny, and the parties have agreed not to provide further details on the matter.
