Usurping the identity of a businessman to make the media believe that a company blithely flouting the rules of public health can be expensive, learned the hard way a resident of Quebec who will have to pay $ 45,000.

"I voluntarily made the journalist believe that I was Steve Maillette during our telephone interview", admits Jean-François Bessette in a recent agreement out of court.

The case dates back to the summer of 2021, when young people posted videos showing them partying in large numbers in Lanaudière.

“We want [the next party] to be even bigger. We bet on 1000 people minimum. We want it to overflow, ”said an 18-year-old girl in reference to a party despite the restrictions imposed at the time by Public Health.

The video footage appeared to have been shot before the pandemic, at an event site at 45 Degrés Nord, owned by Steve Maillette.

When Le Journal had contacted the company to verify the information, a man falsely presenting himself as the owner had compared the health authorities to the mafia, while claiming to have no problem flouting the rules in force.

False identity

However, the person on the phone had lied about his identity. Rather, it was Jean-François Bessette, owner of Distributions Cool Dad and former business partner of Mr. Maillette.

“All of the remarks that were reported in the article were never made by Mr. Maillette, recognizes the liar. They were by me. I can confirm that Mr. Maillette and 45 Degrés Nord have always been in communication with Public Health regarding the organization of events. They are committed to respecting health measures. »

As a result of this identity theft, Mr. Maillette says he suffered a smear campaign, threats and multiple denigrating remarks. So to restore his reputation, he filed a civil suit against his ex-business partner.

However, the case was settled out of court ten days ago. In addition to the $45,000, Mr. Bessette agreed to publish a letter of apology in various media, in addition to making several concessions related to his business.