Jury selection tomorrow in Peter Nygard sex-assault case in Toronto

TORONTO -

Jury selection in the sexual-assault case against Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard is set to begin in a Toronto courtroom tomorrow.

Nygard is facing five counts of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement, reduced from 11 total charges after a court heard last week that three of the eight original complainants in the case are not expected to testify.

He was previously facing eight counts of sexual assault and three forcible confinement charges.

Nygard, who appeared in court today via videoconference for a pretrial hearing and seemed to shield his face with a white card, 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.

Justice Robert Goldstein says he expects jury selection to begin tomorrow.

Nygard 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.

   This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2023.