"A horrid scene of widespread slaughter unfolded before our eyes"

Rewritten Article:

Luce Rozon, Gilbert Rozon's twin sister, took the stand on Thursday. Her testimony centered around the devastating impact the sexual misconduct allegations against Gilbert had on the family. Like other defense witnesses, Luce stuck to the same message: "Everyone loved Gilbert."

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When Gilbert stepped down in October 2017, Luce was in Paris working at Just For Laughs offices. Her sister Lucie, in tears, called her with the news. "She begged me to return to Montreal. It was a stressful time," Luce recalled.

Upon arriving in Montreal, Luce visited their ailing mother in Saint-André d'Argenteuil. "I felt too weak to visit the Just For Laughs offices, recovering from cancer, and I believed my mother needed more support," Luce explained.

After a few days, Luce joined her sister in Montreal to speak with artists at the Just For Laughs offices. "It was chaos around us every day. Each day was like a tsunami, everyone wanted to leave. The sponsors were pulling out, it was a tough time," she shared emotionally.

According to her testimony, Luce's mother once called her to say that Gilbert had moved into their family home in Saint-André d'Argenteuil.

"She was worried about him. So, I went to see him. We didn't talk for a few days. I cooked, I cleaned, I stayed with him. I was afraid he would harm himself. But at one point, I asked him: Did you do it? Tell me - I won't judge you. He replied: 'In a hundred years, no way, tabarnak!'"

Luce Rozon informed the court that she was shocked to learn about the allegations against her brother, as she had never heard any complaints about him in the 30 years she had worked at JPR.

"I've torn up contracts with misogynistic or violent artists, I've raised three boys with respect. If there's something I find detestable, it's that. If I had seen it or if someone had told me, I would have confronted him, I would never have worked for someone with abusive or inappropriate behavior," she added.

However, Luce Rozon didn't feel it was appropriate to make media statements. "We let justice take its course. We remained silent. It wouldn't have been dignified to speak out without all the facts," she explained.

Luce Rozon's presence in court was to testify truthfully about what she knows. "I'm not here to blindly testify. I love my brother, but if I believed he was guilty, I would have stood by him. I have immense respect for women. I'm here to testify about what I know, what I've seen, and in 30 years, I've never witnessed any inappropriate gestures," she stated.

The Rouville-Campbell Incident

Luce briefly addressed her brother's guilty plea towards a young chambermaid at Manoir Rouville-Campbell, who accused him of sexual assault. This incident occurred during the 15th anniversary of the Just For Laughs festival in 1998.

"We encouraged him to plead guilty, even though it was a minor aggression. We did it for the family to protect them from all this. But it was a massive shock for us. We were distressed," Luce admitted.

After the Rouville-Campbell incident, her brother François Rozon left Just For Laughs. Several prominent artists like Daniel Lemire and Michel Courtemanche also quit. That summer, Luce and her sisters hired a bodyguard to deter females from approaching Gilbert in an inappropriate manner.

Moreover, Luce contested Mary Sicari's account of harassment and denied (like her sister Lucie two days earlier) the allegations made by Sophie Moreau regarding a refrigerator full of drugs intended for artists.

Luce also shared a chance encounter with comedian Salomé Corbo - a witness in similar matters - in 2015, following a performance at a gala hosted by Laurent Paquin at the Just For Laughs festival. "She kissed my sister, Gilbert, and me. She said, 'I quite enjoy your family!'"

During her cross-examination, Luce admitted that she didn't know the specifics of the accusations against her brother. "I don't read the newspapers and I avoid the news. I try to protect myself," she said.

The defense's case will continue in June.

Luce Rozon, in her testimony, revealed that her mother once called her about her brother, Gilbert, moving into their family home in Saint-André d'Argenteuil.
After learning about the allegations of sexual misconduct against her brother, Luce Rozon stated that she was shocked, as she had never heard any complaints about him in the 30 years she had worked at Just For Laughs.
Luce Rozon, during the trial, testified truthfully about what she knew and expressed that, if she believed her brother was guilty, she would have stood by him but also stated that she had immense respect for women.
In relation to the Rouville-Campbell incident involving her brother, Luce Rozon mentioned that they encouraged Gilbert to plead guilty for a minor aggression, aiming to protect the family from the media storm.