Peter Nygard's Montreal criminal case on sex assault charge put off until May 25

Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard's sexual assault and forcible confinement case in Quebec will return to a Montreal courtroom at the end of May.

Nygard's presence was not required today as his case was heard briefly before a judge in Montreal.

Lawyers agreed to push the case to May 25 to give his legal team time to deal with Nygard's other pending sex crime cases.

Nygard, 80, also agreed to postpone his right to a bail hearing in the Quebec file until the next court date.

Last week, he appeared virtually in Montreal court to face one count of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement involving the same victim. The crimes allegedly took place between Nov. 1, 1997, and Nov. 15, 1998.

Lawyers told the court today that Nygard is not prejudiced by the delays because he is already detained in Toronto on similar charges and he is also the subject of an extradition warrant for sex-related charges pending in the United States.

Last fall, Nygard was charged in Toronto with six counts of sexual assault and three counts of forcible confinement in alleged incidents dating back to the late 1980s and mid-2000s. He has denied those allegations.

He was first arrested in Winnipeg in 2020 under the Extradition Act after being charged with nine sex-related counts in New York. Authorities in the U.S. allege he used his position in the fashion industry to lure women and girls.

Nygard has denied the allegations through his lawyer and had agreed to be extradited to the U.S. to face a charge of sex trafficking. Canada's justice minister has said he could be extradited once his Canadian criminal trials are complete.

The former head of a multimillion-dollar clothing company also faces a class-action lawsuit in the U.S. involving 57 women with similar allegations.

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2022.