Jury at Peter Nygard’s Toronto sexual assault trial set to hear more evidence

TORONTO  — Jurors at the Toronto sexual-assault trial of former Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard are set to hear more evidence today.

Nygard, the founder of a now-defunct international women’s clothing company, has been accused of using his position in the fashion industry to lure women and girls.

The 82-year-old has pleaded not guilty to five counts of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement in alleged incidents ranging from the ’80s to mid-2000s.

Crown lawyers began their arguments on Tuesday, alleging all five complainants in the case were invited for tours or job interviews to Nygard’s office building in Toronto, where he forced himself on them at his top-floor bedroom suite that featured a jacuzzi, bar and doors with no handles and keypad-operated locks.

Nygard founded Nygard International in Winnipeg in 1967, and stepped down as chairman of the clothing company in February 2020 before it filed for bankruptcy.

The trial is expected to last approximately seven weeks.