Preliminary hearing in Montreal for Peter Nygard, charged in alleged sex assault

Former fashion mogul Peter Nygard arrives at a courthouse in Toronto on October 3, 2023. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston)

A preliminary hearing is being held in Montreal this week for former Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard, who is facing two charges in Quebec, including sexual assault.

Nygard, the founder of a defunct international women’s clothing company, faces one count of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement for incidents that allegedly took place in Quebec between Nov. 1, 1997, and Nov. 15, 1998.

Prosecutors charged Nygard in March 2022, and the alleged victim’s identity and the evidence being heard in court this week are subject to a publication ban.

Nygard, 83, is appearing remotely at the preliminary hearing from a federal institution in Ontario where he is serving time.

The founder of Nygard International was sentenced last September to 11 years in prison after he was found guilty on four counts of sexual assault in Toronto for offences from the 1980s to mid-2000s.

Nygard is also facing charges in Manitoba, and U.S. authorities have sought his extradition on a nine-count indictment filed in New York, alleging he was involved in illegal activity for the purpose of sexually abusing and trafficking women and underage girls.

Nygard has denied all the allegations against him, and is appealing his convictions and sentence in Ontario.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 28, 2025.