Peter Nygard Sex-Assault Case to Appear in Toronto Court With Reduced Charges

Peter Nygard Sex-Assault Case to Appear in Toronto Court With Reduced Charges
Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard is shown in this courtroom sketch in Toronto on Jan. 6, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Alexandra Newbould)
The Canadian Press
9/20/2023
Updated:
9/20/2023
0:00

The sexual-assault case against Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard is expected to be back in a Toronto courtroom today after jury selection in his trial was delayed last week.

The charges in the case were reduced from 11 to six, after a court heard three of the eight original complainants in the case are not expected to testify.

Court documents show Nygard is now facing five counts of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement, down from eight sexual assault and three forcible confinement charges.

Nygard, who appeared in court in a wheelchair on Sept. 11, faces charges in three jurisdictions in Canada and one in the U.S. after authorities alleged he used his position in the fashion industry to lure women and girls.

He faces two sex charges in Quebec and is also charged with sexual assault and unlawful confinement in Manitoba after a person came forward with allegations from the early ‘90s.

Nygard, who in 1967 founded his fashion company in Winnipeg, has denied all the allegations against him.

Nygard was first arrested in Winnipeg in 2020 under the Extradition Act after he was charged with nine counts in New York, including sex trafficking and racketeering charges.

Then-federal justice minister David Lametti had said Nygard would be extradited to the U.S. after the cases against him in Canada are resolved.

Nygard stepped down as chairman of Nygard International after the FBI and police raided his offices in New York in February 2020, and the company later filed for bankruptcy.