Trial against Peter Nygard: Judge urges deadlocked jury to continue deliberating

TORONTO – The judge in Peter Nygard’s sexual assault trial is asking the jury to continue deliberating after asking what to do if a unanimous decision cannot be reached on any of the counts.

The jury, which has been deliberating since late Wednesday afternoon, also asked the judge Friday evening to set a “significant” period of time related to unlawful confinement.

Judge Robert Goldstein told them that a significant amount of time in this case meant it was more than temporary and “perceptible” and had no minimum requirement.

Nygard, the 82-year-old founder of a now-defunct women’s fashion company, has pleaded not guilty to five counts of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement in alleged incidents from the 1980s to the mid-2000s.

Five complainants testified that they were invited to Nygard’s headquarters in Toronto under pretexts ranging from tours to interviews. All encounters ended in a top-floor bedroom suite where they claimed they were sexually assaulted.

Nygard testified in his own defense and denied all five of the women’s allegations. He said he didn’t remember meeting or interacting with four of them.

The judge told jurors Friday that they should continue to deliberate impartially in order to reach a unanimous decision on all counts.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 10, 2023.