Canada’s Supreme Court has put an end to a 12-year legal battle between comedian Mike Ward and the family of a disabled singer he mocked in his routines.

The court rejected a request to hear an appeal by Sylvie Gabriel, who had been seeking to reverse a lower court decision that dismissed her lawsuit against Ward for mocking her son Jérémy, who has a congenital disorder. The lower courts had ruled that the deadline to file the lawsuit had passed.

Jérémy Gabriel, who has Treacher Collins syndrome, a condition characterized by facial deformities, became well-known in Quebec as a teen after appearing with Celine Dion and the Pope.

From 2010-2013, Ward made Gabriel the target of cruel jokes in his comedy act, saying at one point that he thought the boy’s condition was terminal and people only treated him kindly because he would soon die.

The family initially filed a human rights complaint in 2012. In 2021, the Supreme Court ultimately ruled that while Ward’s comments about Gabriel were disparaging, they did not violate Quebec’s rights charter.

The case highlights the complex balance between freedom of speech and the rights of people with disabilities. While comedians have broad artistic license, many disability advocates argue this should not extend to demeaning and hurtful mockery targeting vulnerable individuals, especially children.

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