Claude Paquin, a resident of Quebec who was wrongly convicted of a double murder and later acquitted after 41 years, has reached a substantial settlement with Montreal and the provincial government. The agreement was announced by the three parties in a joint statement on Friday, aiming to help Paquin move forward from the challenging period in his life.
In 1983, Paquin was convicted of two first-degree murder charges related to the deaths of Ronald Bourgouin and Sylvie Revah in 1978 in the Laurentians. He served 18 years in prison and was granted full parole in 2001 under strict conditions that lasted for the next 23 years. In 2024, a retrial was ordered by the federal justice minister due to new information suggesting a possible miscarriage of justice. Consequently, Paquin, now 83 years old, was acquitted on November 6, 2024.
Paquin attributed his acquittal to the dedicated work of his legal team from Projet Innocence Québec, who uncovered troubling evidence questioning the credibility of key witness Bernard Provençal, a prominent police informant in the case.
Represented by lawyers at Woods LLP, Paquin filed a multimillion-dollar civil lawsuit in May 2025 against the City of Montreal and the Attorney General of Quebec for alleged failures of their representatives, including law enforcement agencies and the Crown prosecutor’s office. The lawsuit claimed that authorities were aware as early as 1983 that the informant’s testimony was false and that crucial physical evidence linking Paquin to the crime had been tampered with or fabricated.
Describing the case as a “stolen life,” Paquin’s legal team argued that his prolonged wrongful imprisonment was an egregious injustice that extended beyond the confines of prison. The lawsuit sought damages of over $89 million, though the exact settlement amount remains confidential due to a non-disclosure agreement.
As the lawsuit was resolved outside of court, the specific claims were not litigated, and all parties involved have agreed not to provide further details on the settlement.