Claude Villeneuve

Claude Villeneuve (born 30 June 1969, in Bécancour, Quebec) is a Quebec lawyer, judge, and teacher.

Biography Claude Villeneuve is the second son of Jean Villeneuve, a notary, and Nicole Demers, and the brother of Quebec filmmakers Denis Villeneuve and Martin Villeneuve. While his two brothers pursued careers in filmmaking, Claude Villeneuve chose a career in law instead. In 1991, he earned a bachelor's degree in law from the Université de Sherbrooke, followed by a master's degree in health law in 1992.

Around 1997, he took a position with the legal affairs department of the City of Sherbrooke.

In 2006, Claude Villeneuve was hired by the firm Heenan Blaikie, and then by the Lavery firm in Sherbrooke in 2014, where he specialized in litigation, commercial law, and labour law. He was re-elected to the position for the following term in 2015. Over the course of his career, he has also taught at the Quebec Bar School and at the Faculty of Law of the Université de Sherbrooke.

Controversy On January 29, 2026, Judge Villeneuve was caught in a scandal after being charged with "communicating with a person for the purpose of obtaining sexual services for consideration," in connection with an incident reportedly occurring on 12 December 2025. Due to the seriousness of the charges, he was relieved of all his duties that same day, and his first court appearance was scheduled for February 12, 2026. Claude Villeneuve was absent from his hearing but was represented by his lawyer, Patrick Fréchette, who entered a not-guilty plea in a courtroom where his client once presided as judge.

Judge Villeneuve's arrest took place in Sherbrooke as part of the Changement de comportement, conscientisation, éducation et sensibilisation sur l'exploitation sexuelle program (C3ESSES; roughly, "Behaviour Change, Awareness, Education and Sensitization on Sexual Exploitation"), which aims to reduce the purchase of sexual services and the risk of reoffending. In this program, police officers pose as escorts, and a person who falls for the ruse is offered an alternative to criminal prosecution. The Canadian Judicial Council is notably mandated to ensure the irreproachable conduct of judges under its authority.