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Cardinal Ouellet wins case against woman who accused him of abuse
A ruling by the Superior Court of Quebec in Canada finds that Cardinal Marc Ouellet was “falsely accused” of sexual assault in connection with a class action against the Archdiocese of Quebec, and he will receive $100,000 in damages, which he will donate to organizations combating the sexual abuse of Indigenous peoples.
By Salvatore Cernuzio
Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Prefect Emeritus of the Dicastery for Bishops, has won his case against Paméla Groleau, the woman who “falsely accused him of sexual assault in connection with a class action against the Archdiocese of Quebec.”
The Cardinal, who described himself as a “victim of defamation and slander,” will receive $100,000 in damages for the violation of his right to honour.
The decision was handed down by the Superior Court of Quebec in Canada. Published on 31 August, it ruled in the Cardinal’s favour in the defamation lawsuit he brought after the allegations of sexual assault became public in August 2022.
Justice Martin Castonguay concluded that the allegations were unfounded and ordered Groleau to pay the Cardinal the full amount he had sought.
In a statement released afterwards, Cardinal Ouellet said he would donate the money “to organizations combating the sexual abuse suffered by Indigenous peoples in Canada.”
The Cardinal’s statement
In the statement, Cardinal Ouellet said he was grateful that “the civil justice system of my country has recognized that the allegations of sexual assault made against me were false and formulated with ‘extreme recklessness equivalent to malice,’ and that the person concerned has been held responsible for the ‘infamous’ and defamatory statements made against me and widely circulated throughout the world.”
Cardinal Ouellet thanked the lawyers of LCM Avocats and the numerous witnesses who testified for having “helped the Court establish the facts and ensure that the truth prevailed.”
He also reaffirmed his personal “commitment to continuing the fight within the Church and society against every form of abuse, particularly sexual abuse,” and said he unreservedly supports “substantiated victims in their pursuit of restorative justice.”
The case
The case dates back to August 2022, when the Cardinal’s name appeared in a class action against the Corporation Archiépiscopale catholique romaine de Québec et l’Archevêque catholique romain de Québec concerning allegations of sexual abuse committed over several decades.
Paméla Groleau, a former lay pastoral assistant, accused the Cardinal of actions allegedly committed between 2008 and 2010. She described incidents of non-consensual physical contact that were subsequently presented as acts of sexual assault.
From the outset, Cardinal Ouellet consistently rejected the allegations, “firmly” denying that he had “made inappropriate gestures” and describing both the interpretation and dissemination of the allegations as “defamatory.”
He also said he would participate “actively” in any civil investigation “so that the truth may be established and my innocence recognized.”
In December of that year, the Cardinal announced legal action against his accuser to restore his honour and reputation.
Pope Francis also intervened in the matter in 2022, entrusting a preliminary investigation to Jesuit Father Jacques Servais.
At its conclusion, Father Servais stated: “There are no grounds to open an investigation into the sexual assault of person F. by Cardinal M. Ouellet.”
The Pope therefore did not authorize the opening of a canonical investigation into the Cardinal because of the absence of “sufficient elements.”
The ruling
In Monday’s ruling—the outcome of a trial held in Montreal in March 2026—the Court identified inconsistencies in Groleau’s account and questioned her credibility and reliability.
The decision also noted that “the core of the class action is based on the experiences of seven children who were victims of paedophile members of the clergy during a dark period in Quebec’s history, when religious personnel controlled the education system.”
“This,” the ruling states, “is the infamy of which Cardinal Ouellet complains: namely, that he was associated with paedophiles in the proceedings relating to the class action.”
The decision was welcomed with gratitude by the Prefect Emeritus of the Dicastery for Bishops and his lawyers.
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