A previous version of this story is below. The four justices that disagreed with the majority ruling found that Gabriel's right to dignity was violated and said in their dissenting decision that Ward's appeal should be dismissed. They exploited, rightly or wrongly, a feeling of discomfort in order to entertain, but they did little more than that, the majority judgment found. The impugned comments … were made by a career comedian known for this type of humour. In its ruling, the court found that Ward's jokes did not seek to incite others to mock Gabriel and he cannot be blamed for the actions of Gabriel's classmates and others who parroted the jokes. In a 5-4 split decision, the top court ruled Friday that while comedian Mike Ward's act ridiculed Jérémy Gabriel, a young man with Treacher Collins Syndrome, he was not chosen as a target because of his disability, but rather because of his fame.
