Claude Paquin, a man from Quebec who was wrongly convicted of a double murder and later acquitted after 41 years, has agreed to a multimillion-dollar settlement with Montreal and the provincial government. The settlement was announced by all three parties in a joint statement on Friday, aiming to help Mr. Paquin move forward from the challenging chapter in his life without a lengthy trial scheduled for this fall.
In 1983, Paquin was convicted of two first-degree murder charges related to the deaths of Ronald Bourgouin and Sylvie Revah, a couple killed in the Laurentians in 1978. He served 18 years in prison before being released on full parole in 2001 under strict conditions that lasted for the following 23 years. In 2024, the federal justice minister ordered a retrial due to new information suggesting a potential miscarriage of justice. Paquin, now 83, was acquitted on November 6, 2024.
Paquin credited his acquittal to the efforts of his legal team from Projet Innocence Québec, highlighting the doubt cast on the credibility of Bernard Provençal, a key 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, alleging misconduct by their agents, including Montreal police, the Sûreté du Québec, and the Quebec Crown prosecutor’s office. The lawsuit claimed that authorities were aware since 1983 that the informant’s testimony was false and that any physical evidence linking Paquin to the crime had been manipulated.
The lawsuit characterized Paquin’s experience as a “stolen life,” emphasizing the prolonged impact of his wrongful incarceration beyond prison walls. The legal action sought damages of over $89 million; however, the specific settlement amount remains confidential due to the agreement’s terms. As the lawsuit was settled outside of court, the parties involved have chosen not to provide further details or comments.