MONTREAL—Gilbert Rozon, the impresario behind Montreal’s world-famous Just for Laughs Festival, has quit the entertainment company over unspecified allegations of abuse.He made the announcement on his Facebook page Wednesday evening. It was confirmed as authentic by a spokesperson for the festival as well as the organizing committee of Montreal’s 375th anniversary celebrations, where Rozon was a commissioner.“I am resigning out of respect for the employees and the families that work for these organizations as well as all our partners. I certainly don’t want to overshadow their activities,” Rozon wrote in what he titled an official declaration.“Shaken by the allegations against me, I want to dedicate all my time to review the matter. To all those who I may have offended in my life, I’m sincerely sorry.”Rozon was convicted of sexual assault involving a young woman in 1998, an incident that he has acknowledged as a mistake and one for which he told an interviewer that he sought therapy.“I looked at politicians here and abroad, like Bill Clinton, and I asked myself, “Does power go with the obligation to seduce and conquer?”After pleading guilty to fondling a 19-year-old woman at a party, Rozon received a $1,100 fine and one year of probation, according to published reports. In 1999, he received a controversial unconditional discharge after a judge ruled that having a criminal record for sexual assault might prevent Rozon from travelling internationally, affect his business and hamper Montreal’s economy, the CBC reported at the time. Rozon had also been charged with unlawful confinement involving a 31-year-old woman, but the charge was withdrawn by police due to lack of evidence.On Wednesday, a young Quebec actor, Guillaume Wagner, said he ceased working with Rozon’s festival despite the lure of generous contracts.“I won’t work for Just for Laugh so long as an agressor is ...
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