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Switzerland
Peter Nygard convicted in Montreal of sexual assault: second conviction in Canada
Switzerland Desk · · 30s summary · 3 min read
The essentials
A Montreal court found Peter Nygard guilty of sexual assault and confinement of an 18-year-old woman on July 13, 2026, for acts committed between 1997 and 1998. Nygard, 84, a Finnish-Canadian founder of Nygard International—a women's ready-to-wear company—chose not to present a defense, resulting in a de facto guilty verdict without a full trial. He is already serving an 11-year sentence in Toronto for sexual assaults against four other women. The Montreal sentence has not yet been set.
- Nygard found guilty in Montreal on July 13, 2026, for acts committed in 1997-1998
- He waived his right to present a defense, canceling a scheduled ten-day trial
- He is currently serving an 11-year sentence in Toronto for assaults against four women
- Nine federal charges await him in the United States for alleged crimes from 1990-2020
- Manitoba proceedings against him were abandoned in October 2025 on procedural grounds
What we know
On July 13, 2026, a Montreal court found Peter Nygard guilty of sexual assault and confinement of an 18-year-old woman, according to Le Temps. The acts date to 1997 and 1998 and occurred at Nygard's Montreal residence. Nygard, 84, is a Finnish-Canadian founder of Nygard International, a women's ready-to-wear company.
Prosecutor Jérôme Laflamme publicly announced the guilty verdict. The complainant was present at the hearing but did not have to testify. Sentencing will be determined at a later hearing.
Nygard chose not to present a defense—a right under Canadian criminal law permitting an accused to produce no defense following the close of the Crown's evidence, which results in a de facto guilty verdict if the elements of the offense are established. He appeared by videoconference from his Ontario prison. The scheduled ten-day trial was thus canceled.
Context
Peter Nygard has been incarcerated in Toronto since December 2020. In September 2024, an Ontario court sentenced him to 11 years in prison for sexual assaults against four women, a sentence he has been serving since then.
Charges brought in the province of Manitoba were abandoned in October 2025 on procedural grounds—a formal irregularity in the conduct of judicial proceedings that can result in nullification of actions taken, regardless of the merits of the case.
Nygard is moreover awaiting possible extradition to the State of New York. Extradition is the procedure by which one state surrenders an individual to another state that demands him for trial or for execution of a sentence. He faces nine federal charges there—including racketeering and sex trafficking—for alleged acts between 1990 and 2020.
Timeline
- 1997-1998Sexual assault and confinement of an 18-year-old woman at Nygard's Montreal residence: acts confirmed in the July 13, 2026 conviction.
- December 2020Arrest and incarceration of Peter Nygard in Toronto.
- September 2024Convicted to 11 years in prison by a Toronto court for sexual assaults against four women.
- Abandonment of charges in the province of Manitoba on procedural grounds.
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