Montreal musician awarded $1.5M in defamation lawsuit after judge finds he was falsely accused of sexual abuse

A Quebec-based electronic music artist hopes to get his career and life back on track after triumphing in an Alberta defamation lawsuit tied to social media posts accusing him of being a sexual predator.

“It was terrible. The whole thing was like pure nightmare and hell,” Frederik Durand said in an interview from Montreal.

“I felt hopeless. It was the worst feeling ever.”

The 35-year-old, who performs under the name Snails, said the Instagram reposts from California resident Michaela Higgins broadsided his career and dropped his earnings off a cliff. Durand and Higgins both say they have never met.

Durand said he had been