Quebec Court Rules for Cardinal Ouellet in Defamation Case

Quebec Superior Court has ruled in favor of Cardinal Marc Ouellet in a civil defamation lawsuit, finding that sexual misconduct accusations against the retired cardinal were unfounded. The decision, released on August 31, 2026, ordered his accuser, Paméla Groleau, to pay Ouellet 100,000 Canadian dollars in damages. Justice Martin Castonguay, in a 52-page judgment, concluded that Groleau's testimony was neither credible nor reliable. The judge noted that she had changed her account of the alleged incidents several times. The accusations stemmed from a class-action lawsuit filed against the Archdiocese of Quebec, in which Groleau alleged that Ouellet touched her without consent on three occasions between 2008 and 2010 while she was training or working as a lay pastoral agent. She also claimed he made her feel uncomfortable at another event. The court examined four alleged incidents, all said to have occurred at public church events with other people present. Castonguay wrote that the evidence established the allegations were unfounded to such a degree that Groleau strategically downgraded her claims.