Acadian singer Wilfred LeBouthillier and his wife Jézabel Drolet are the subject of a lawsuit filed in the Court of Queen’s Bench, Bathurst.
The one from Dr. Renelle Chiasson also brings claims against 2W Productions, an artistic production company owned by Mr. LeBouthillier and Ms. Drolet.
If an out-of-court settlement is not reached within the next two months, the celebrity couple will face court, which is scheduled to take place in Bathurst in February.
The opening of an aesthetic medicine clinic in Tracadie in early summer 2020 has been at the center of the dispute between the parties since 2021.
In August 2019, Dr. Chiasson, Wilfred LeBouthillier and Jézabel Drolet signed an agreement to open a medical-aesthetic clinic in Tracadie.
Clinique Jouvence originally wanted to be the only clinic on the Acadian Peninsula offering platelet-rich plasma treatments.
The injection procedure is recognized by some medical specialists as promoting healing, relieving pain and because of its supposed aesthetic advantages.
The 36-month deal saw a 50-50% split of most of the company’s expenses and income between the two parties. It also saw an investment of $32,500 from Dr. Chiasson for renovations and $3,250 for equipment purchases.
The LeBouthillier-Drolet couple had to invest $3,250 for basic purchases.
In documents viewed by Acadie Nouvelle, the plaintiff (Dr. Chiasson) alleges that they agreed to pay each other a share of the operating profits in July 2020 and deferred repayment of principal amounts from the two parties due to personal financial problems Jezabel Drolet.
A practical nurse by trade, she had attained a certain notoriety thanks to her marriage to Wilfred LeBouthillier, who had made the tabloids happy.
According to the plaintiff, Ms. Drolet Dr. Chiasson announced in September 2020 that the couple no longer wanted to work with her and were ending the partnership.
Tracadie’s GP alleges that the defendants subsequently removed all equipment and supplies from the Clinique Jouvence, then located in the Tracadie Superstore, and emptied the company’s bank account that same week.
The plaintiff adds that Wilfred LeBouthillier and his wife later opened the Jouvence Clinic at a different location on Principale Street in Tracadie.
dr Chiasson said she never expressed any intention to leave or end the partnership and did not receive her share of the revenue from the clinic’s operations.
The plaintiff also alleges that she did not receive the return of her capital contribution, that she did not have access to all of the company’s financial information, and that the defendants made false statements in order to induce people to join the clinic and invest money in it .
dr Chiasson also said in a document that she was kept out of the clinic’s activities by the couple, who wanted to keep the company’s profits to themselves.
The plaintiff petitioned the court to issue an injunction barring the clinic from operating on the Acadian Peninsula until October 31, 2022.
An audit conducted by the Acadie Nouvelle revealed that aesthetic care is still being provided at Clinique Jouvence.
As compensation, Dr. Chiasson received from the other party an amount of money equal to 50% of the profits made since May 2020 and 50% of the future profits lost as a result of the defendant’s breach of contract.
She is also demanding from the popular academic singer and his wife the capital contribution to the clinic invested since 2019, an amount of money for aggravated and punitive damages, and an amount of money for legal costs and other losses suffered.
In a defense statement served in court, the defendants dispute several allegations made by Dr. chiason.
They claim, among other things, that they developed the concept of Clinique Jouvence without outside help and that it belonged to Jézabel Drolet, which the plaintiff refutes.
The two parties also disagree on the clinic’s opening date and that Clinique Jouvence would be the only one to offer platelet-rich plasma treatments.
Wilfred LeBouthillier and Jézabel Drolet also claim that Dr. Chiasson, who ended the agreement by refusing to see a client.
They dismiss the complaint, calling their ex-partner’s comments false, unfounded and defamatory.
For all of these reasons, in March 2021 the couple filed for damages for lost income, costs incurred by moving the clinic and defamatory statements by Dr. Chiasson asserted against them.
A hearing held at the Court of King’s Bench in Bathurst on Monday set the date for the trial to begin on February 6.