Crown wants sex assault case of fashion mogul Peter Nygard to move more quickly
The Quebec lawyer prosecuting the sexual assault case against Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard told the court Monday the complainant wants proceedings to move forward more quickly.
Nygard's case in Quebec has been put off for months. The 81-year-old founder of a defunct international women's clothing company faces one count of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement involving incidents that allegedly took place in Quebec between Nov. 1, 1997, and Nov. 15, 1998.
He also faces sex-related charges in Toronto, where he is currently detained, and in the United States, where authorities say he used his position in the fashion industry to lure women and girls.
Prosecutor Jerome Laflamme had told reporters it was expected that a trial date would be set on Monday. But Nygard's lawyer was not ready to proceed, and Quebec court Judge Andre Perreault put off the case once more, until April 14.
"The prosecution will be expecting a final position on this case at the next date so that we can move things along a little bit," Laflamme told Perreault. "It's been a little while since the initial arraignment and the plaintiff, she wants things to move."
Nygard was first arrested in Winnipeg in 2020 under the Extradition Act after being charged with nine sex-related counts in New York. He is also the subject of a class-action lawsuit in the U.S. involving 57 women who allege Nygard abused his position in the fashion industry and sexually assaulted them.
The fallen fashion entrepreneur was charged in Toronto in 2021 with six counts of sexual assault and three counts of forcible confinement involving incidents between the late 1980s and mid-2000s. He will face trial in Toronto in September 2023.
Two additional sex assault charges were laid by Toronto police in June 2022.
The Quebec charges were filed in March 2022, and Nygard waived his right to bail hearing in that province last July.
Nygard has denied all the allegations against him, and he is appealing a U.S. extradition order. That appeal is scheduled to be heard in Winnipeg on April 26.
In March 2022, federal Justice Minister David Lametti said Nygard could be extradited to the U.S. once his Canadian cases are settled.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 6, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada makes amendments to foreign homebuyers ban – here's what they look like
Months after Canada's ban on foreign homebuyers took effect on Jan. 1, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has made several amendments to the legislation allowing non-Canadians to purchase residential properties in certain circumstances.

Spending to increase economic capacity is fiscally responsible, Freeland says in post-budget defence
Defending her latest federal budget, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said spending that increases economic capacity is fiscally responsible.
What is the grocery rebate in federal budget 2023? Key questions, answered
To help offset rising living expenses, the Government of Canada has introduced a one-time grocery rebate for low- and modest-income Canadians. Here is what we know about the rebate.
Victim of Vancouver stabbing had asked man not to vape near toddler, says grieving mom
The family of a 37-year-old man who was stabbed to death in Vancouver last weekend says he was attacked after asking someone not to vape near his young daughter.
Odds and ends: Here are some law changes Liberals plan to put in the budget bill
The 2023 federal budget released this week includes a series of affordability measures, tax changes, and major spends on health care and the clean economy. But, tucked into the 255-page document are a series of smaller items you may have missed.
opinion | Don Martin's sorry-to-be-cynical prediction on the federal budget
The only thing most Canadians will remember about the budget this time next week is how the booze tax increase was reduced to two per cent from six, writes Don Martin in a column for CTVNews.ca.
RCMP interviewing Canadians held in detention camps in Syria: sources
CTV News has learned that RCMP officers are currently in northeast Syria, interviewing Canadians held in detention camps in order to bring them back to Canada. The three Mounties have so far interviewed only Canadian women in Al-Roj camp.
Actress Melissa Joan Hart describes helping children flee campus after Nashville school shooting
Actress Melissa Joan Hart says she was near Nashville's Covenant School soon after Monday's deadly shooting of six people, including three children, and helped some students get away from the scene.
Frustration, anticipation mark industry response to budget's flight delay fixes
The federal government has air travel on its radar after laying out plans in its budget to speed up airport security screening and reduce flight delays, but industry and advocates remain skeptical.