Former Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard was found guilty of sexual assault and forcible confinement on the first day of his trial at the Montreal courthouse on Monday.
“This morning, Mr. Nygard’s trial was due to begin for a period of 10 days,” Crown prosecutor Jérôme Laflamme told reporters afterward. “Mr. Nygard chose — without pleading guilty — to not offer a defence against the evidence the prosecution was going to present against him.”
The judge consequently declared Nygard guilty of the two charges against him, Laflamme said.
The 84-year-old founder of the now-defunct women’s clothing company Nygard International was charged in the Montreal case in 2022, with the offences alleged to have occurred between Nov. 1, 1997 and Nov. 15, 1998. The complainant, who was a model at the time, was in her late teens.
During a preliminary hearing in January 2025, a Quebec Superior Court judge declared there was enough evidence for a trial to go forward. At the time, Nygard’s defence team confirmed Nygard wanted a trial before a judge alone.
The trial in Montreal came as Nygard is also facing charges outside of Canada.
U.S. authorities have sought his extradition in a nine-count indictment filed in New York. Nygard is accused of being involved in illegal activity for the purpose of sexually abusing and trafficking women and underage girls.
“The only thing keeping Mr. Nygard in Canada is this case. So when this case is over, (Nygard) will be extradited to the United States,” Laflamme told reporters Monday.
The prosecution had been ready to move forward with the trial in Montreal, he added, saying witnesses had been prepared.
Nygard’s lawyer Gerri Wiebe confirmed this case was the “last matter” holding him in Canada. She also said her client “does not want to go to the United States.”
“Therefore, by entering the plea here today and postponing the sentence for a rather lengthy period of time, he is ensured he can remain in Canada for the next couple of months while we attempt to have the minister review the detention order based on Mr. Nygard’s age and declining health,” Wiebe told reporters outside the courtroom.
Nygard will turn 85 on July 24. His next appearance in the Montreal case is expected in October, according to TVA.
In a statement to The Gazette later Monday, Wiebe said Nygard decided to “enter into a plea bargain in order to remain in Canada while he seeks a reconsideration of his extradition order.”
She added that Nygard’s defence “was able to provide the prosecution with evidence that substantially weakened the likelihood of his conviction at trial.”
Throughout the proceedings, Nygard has appeared by video conference from a penitentiary in Ontario, where he is serving time in a separate case. In September 2024, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison after he was found guilty on four counts of sexual assault in Toronto for offences from the 1980s to the mid-2000s. In May, Nygard’s appeal was rejected by Ontario’s top court.
He was also facing similar charges in Manitoba. The judge stayed all charges in the Winnipeg sexual assault case last October after finding Nygard’s charter right to a fair trial was violated, citing police “failing to retain records related to allegations stemming from the 1990s,” according to the CBC. In April, he filed a lawsuit alleging abuse of process and defamation in that case.
DiCello Levitt, a U.S. law firm representing dozens of complainants — including the woman in the Montreal case — in a civil lawsuit against Nygard, welcomed Monday’s ruling, saying it “marks another measure of accountability.”
“This conviction is an important step, but our work is far from over. We will not rest until Nygard and those who enabled him are held fully accountable for the harm they caused,” lawyer Greg Gutzler said in a statement.
Paul Cherry of The Gazette contributed to this report.
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