Claude Paquin, a man from 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 all three parties in a joint statement on Friday, aiming to help Paquin move on from the challenging chapter in his life without a lengthy trial.
In 1983, Paquin was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder related to the deaths of Ronald Bourgouin and Sylvie Revah, a couple killed in 1978 in the Laurentians. After spending 18 years in prison, Paquin was granted full parole in 2001 under strict conditions that lasted for the next 23 years. It wasn’t until 2024 when the federal justice minister ordered a retrial, citing new information suggesting a possible miscarriage of justice.
Paquin, now 83 years old, was acquitted on November 6, 2024. He credited his legal team from Projet Innocence Québec for making his acquittal possible by uncovering evidence that raised doubts about the credibility of Bernard Provençal, a key police informant in the case.
Represented by lawyers 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. The lawsuit alleges that authorities were aware as early as 1983 that the informant’s testimony was false, and any physical evidence linking Paquin to the crime was either fabricated or tampered with.
Paquin’s legal team described the case as not just a miscarriage of justice but as “the story of a stolen life,” emphasizing the prolonged unjust deprivation of liberty he endured. The lawsuit sought damages exceeding $89 million, although the exact settlement amount remains confidential due to a nondisclosure clause in the agreement.
Since the lawsuit was settled, the claims were not subjected to court scrutiny, and all parties involved have refrained from further comments on the matter.