In a crowded Gatineau courtroom, the word procès carried more than legal weight. It marked the end of a trial that had already altered two lives long before the judge finished reading his decision. Joey Therrien-Rivers and Hugo Petit were declared not guilty on Tuesday morning at the Gatineau courthouse, after a case built around the question of consent.
What did the judge decide in the Procès?
Judge Mark Philippe said the evidence, taken as a whole, raised a reasonable doubt about consent. After reviewing the facts for more than an hour, he concluded that the record did not prove the essential element of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. He added that some confusion remained about the real sequence of events that night. For that reason, he declared both accused not guilty.
The case had already narrowed during the trial. In the middle of the proceedings, the two men were acquitted on two of the three charges after one of the alleged victims acknowledged having consented to a sexual relationship with Hugo Petit during the night of June 22 to 23, 2023. Only one complainant remained on the file when the final verdict came down.
Why did this Procès draw so much attention?
The trial was closely watched, and the room was full when the decision was read. Relatives of the two men were present, and the atmosphere turned emotional as the verdict was announced. Hugo Petit broke into tears and clung to his friend in front of the people who had come to support them.
That human moment reflected a larger reality: a courtroom verdict can end a legal case, but it does not erase the public fallout that can build around an accusation. Michel Swanston, the lawyer for Hugo Petit, said his clients had been treated harshly in public discussion and argued that social media had condemned them before they could fully defend themselves in court. He said Joey Therrien-Rivers had been forced to sell businesses because customers disappeared once people presumed he was a sex abuser, while Petit had to move outside the city to continue practicing law in a limited way.
How did the case affect the people involved?
Therrien-Rivers, 32, had owned several restaurants in Outaouais when the charges were filed. Over recent months in 2025, he sold Le Foubrac, Sans Façon, and Meech & Munch. Petit, 30, is a lawyer. The Barreau du Québec had issued a temporary restriction on his right to practice, in force since July 2024.
Me Swanston said the presumption of innocence had taken a hit from the start of the proceedings, which stretched over three years. He also noted that polygraph tests had been used by the clients and that they had passed, while emphasizing that such tests are not admissible in court. In his view, public judgment had already caused damage before the legal process could play out.
What happens next after the verdict?
On the Crown side, prosecutors Me Jennifer Morin and Me Maria Eid said they were waiting for the written judgment before deciding whether to consider an appeal for one of the accused. No further details were given. A non-publication order prevents the release of information that could identify the complainant.
The scene in Gatineau ended with the same stillness that had filled the room at the start of the procès: a courtroom, a family section, a judge’s words, and a decision that closed one chapter while leaving the wider human impact in place. For the two men at the center of it, the acquittal was final in law. Outside the courthouse, the question of what was done to their lives along the way remains harder to put away.
