Five women testified that Peter Nygard assaulted them in a private home suite at his organization headquarters, and the former American fashion mogul was found guilty of four counts of sexual assault.
After five weeks of deliberation, a Toronto jury’s decision was announced at noon on Sunday.
One of five counts of physical abuse and one count of forced captivity were all dropped against Nygard, 82.
Five women, whose identities are shielded by a publishing ban, gave vivid and emotional evidence about assaults that took place between the 1980s and the mid-2000s during the six-week test.
According to the prosecution, Nygard met the ladies in social settings and extended an invitation to visit the Toronto office of his clothes empire. The” tours” all came to an end in his bedroom. A base, televisions, and a spa were in the room. According to the prosecution, Nygard was in charge of the doors and there were no handles on the doors.
In one case, a woman who was dating an older man brought her to Nygard’s office when she was just 16 years older, according to her testimony. She claimed that Nygard sexually assaulted her and that a lady gave her an emergency contraceptive medication as she was leaving the building.
Another woman sobbed during her evidence, expressing to the judge her concern that any objection made against him would be dismissed. Who would think me when I say,” He’s so rich and so powerful!”
Nygard admitted to the court that he could n’t recall ever meeting any of the five women or interacting with them in the past. Additionally, he denied accusations of sexual assault and misbehavior, telling a judge that his actions were inappropriate.
Nygard testified,” My place is that I would never had behaved in that way.” No one could have been imprisoned in his personal hotel, he added to the court.
Nygard’s evidence was “unreliable” and lacked trust, according to Crown attorney Ana Serban in closing arguments last month.
Brian Greenspan, Nygard’s attorney, claimed that the five ladies lacked reliability due to the “fatal flaws and lack of video honesty” of their claims. Greenspan stated on Sunday that he was considering appealing the decision.
Nygard, who was born in Finland but raised in Manitoba, later ran his predecessor clothing business and rose to become one of Canada’s wealthiest individuals. After the FBI and police searched his offices in New York City in 2020, he resigned as business president. Since then, the business has declared debt and entered into bankruptcy.
Later in 2020, at the US’s request, American police detained Nygard. s.
Nygard is facing criminal charges in three additional states in addition to the criminal ruling on Sunday.
In Quebec and Manitoba, he is charged with sexual assault and forced confinement; the charges date back to the 1990s. In the US, he is also being investigated.
In response to a lawsuit filed by 57 people, including 18 Canadians, alleging that Nygard lured victims and evaded transparency for decades by using violence, intimidation, corruption, and company employees, the man is fighting extradition to the US. Nygard has refuted every charge.