Defamation: Quebec Superior Court orders John Colem Morvan to pay damages to Windy Phele

Quebec Superior Court has found content creator John Colem Morvan liable for defaming Haitian journalist and jurist Windy Phele, Vant Bèf Info and Le Midi report. In a ruling issued June 26, 2026, Justice Sylvain Lussier found that the accusations Morvan published on Facebook and YouTube were not backed by sufficient evidence and went beyond legitimate political debate.

Morvan had repeatedly accused Phele of involvement in corruption and embezzlement of public funds under President Jovenel Moïse, citing in particular the construction of a family house in Thomonde. The court faulted him for failing to verify those claims before publishing them.

Damages and publication of the ruling

According to Vant Bèf Info, Morvan must pay C$30,000 in moral damages, C$15,000 of it jointly with the company Bravo à la Jeunesse Inc., plus C$15,000 in punitive damages. Bravo à la Jeunesse must also pay C$1,000 in punitive damages. The total comes to C$46,000, plus interest and court costs.

The judge also ordered the defamatory content removed, barred similar statements and required the defendants to publish excerpts of the ruling, in French and Haitian Creole, on their platforms. Le Midi describes the ruling as the second such judgment against Morvan.