WINNIPEG -- WARNING: This story contains details that may be disturbing to some readers.
More women have joined a lawsuit accusing Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard of sexual assault.
The class action lawsuit, filed in New York, was recently amended to add 11 more women, bringing the total number of accusers to 57. The list of accusers includes 18 Canadians.
"Not only have we spoken to dozens of survivors, but we have also interviewed additional witnesses from the United States, Canada, and the Bahamas, who are finally coming forward," Greg Gutzler, one of the lawyers representing the women, said in a news release Tuesday.
In April, the lawsuit was amended, bringing the total number of accusers from 10 to 46.
Nygard is accused of rape, sexual assault and sex trafficking in the lawsuit, with the incidents allegedly occurring over the span of five decades.
The filing alleges Nygard lured young women and teenagers, some as young as 14, with promises of cash and modelling opportunities. He is alleged to have plied the women and girls with drugs and alcohol, before raping, sodomizing, or sexually assaulting them, often at “pamper parties” at his mansion in the Bahamas. He is also alleged to have offered the women and girls money, sometimes upwards of $5,000, after the alleged assaults.
The lawsuit also names a number of the 78-year-old business magnate’s New York-based corporate entities and employees as defendants in the case for their alleged roles in “financing, facilitating, and covering up the abuse.”
None of the claims against Nygard have been proven in court, and no criminal charges have been filed against him.
Through a representative, Nygard has repeatedly denied the claims.
Nygard stepped down as chairman of his company in February, after the FBI and the New York Police Department raided the company’s headquarters in Times Square.
-With files from The Canadian Press and CTV’s Jill Macyshon and Nicole Bogart.
Correction:
EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous version of this story stated 13 more women had joined the number of accusers. This was in error and has been changed to 11.
