Nygard defence lawyer withdraws from Toronto case

Posted: 2:32 PM CST Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024

TORONTO — Five days after he told a Manitoba judge he could no longer ethically and professionally fulfil his obligations to his client — former fashion mogul Peter Nygard — defence lawyer Brian Greenspan repeated himself in an Ontario courtroom.

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This article was published 17/01/2024 (600 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nygard awaits sentencing on four counts of sexual assault in Toronto and has criminal trials pending in two other provinces.

Greenspan requested to withdraw from the Toronto case in a hearing Wednesday: “It is now what I would characterize as an adversarial relationship, not simply a breakdown in the solicitor-client relationship.”

Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard is shown in this courtroom sketch in Toronto in 2022. Five days after making the request in a Winnipeg court, Nygard's lawyer Brian Greenspan has requested to be withdrawn from representing him in Ontario as the convicted sex offender awaits sentencing on four counts of sexual assault. (Alexandrea Newbould / The Canadian Press files)

He said the same thing last week in a courtroom in Winnipeg, where Nygard also faces sexual assault-related charges.

Greenspan did not give details on the nature of the conflict, but noted “it has nothing to do with fees.”

On Wednesday, Nygard objected to the timing of the request, saying he was still in the process of finding new counsel and suggesting Greenspan was “jumping the gun.”

“Mr. Greenspan has needlessly made this into an adversary kind of arrangement, and it doesn’t need to be that — we want to have it done in an amicable manner, and in an orderly, professional manner,” he said.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Goldstein granted Greenspan’s application to be removed from the record immediately, rather than at a later date, suggesting it would give Nygard “incentive to engage with his other lawyers so they can assist him in finding new criminal counsel.”

“I would urge him to do that as quickly as possible,” the judge said.

“The jury came back with its verdict (in) November, and it’s now the middle of January. I think that it’s in everyone’s best interest to move the sentencing along and have it occur as quickly as possible.”

Until then, Nygard will be representing himself.

Crown prosecutors indicated if Nygard does not have “a substantive update” in his search for a new lawyer by his next appearance Jan. 30, they would nonetheless seek to set a date for his sentencing.

Nygard, who is in his early 80s, was found guilty on four counts of sexual assault Nov. 12. He was acquitted of a fifth count, as well as a charge of forcible confinement.

The charges stemmed from allegations dating from the 1980s until the mid-2000s.

Aside from the case in Manitoba, Nygard also faces one count of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement in Quebec. He is scheduled to stand trial in Quebec in June.

He is also facing charges in the U.S., including sex trafficking and racketeering allegations.

None of the charges against Nygard in those other jurisdictions have been tested in court. He has consistently denied all allegations against him.

— The Canadian Press