The commencement of the initial sexual assault trial for Frank Stronach in Toronto, which was set to start on Tuesday, has been postponed. Stronach’s attorney, Leora Shemesh, informed the Ontario Court of Justice on Tuesday morning that the defense team has been inundated with a significant volume of new disclosure materials, necessitating more time for review. Despite this, Shemesh emphasized the defense’s eagerness and readiness to proceed with the trial. Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy approved the request for a delay and adjourned the proceedings until Thursday, although the trial’s exact start date remains uncertain.
The 93-year-old magnate is facing accusations of sexual misconduct involving multiple women, with some allegations dating back almost five decades. Stronach, the founder of Magna International, is confronting 12 charges, including sexual assault and forcible confinement. Notably, two of the charges, rape and attempted rape, are considered historical offenses due to their abolition when the Criminal Code was revised in 1983 to introduce the offense of sexual assault. The allegations involve seven complainants and cover the period between 1977 and 1990 in Toronto, with one incident specified as occurring in suburban Scarborough.
There is no time limit for indictable offenses, such as sexual assault, murder, and kidnapping, in Canada, allowing individuals to potentially face trials years or even decades after the alleged offenses. Stronach, who has denied all allegations and pleaded not guilty to the charges, is also slated to undergo a separate trial in Newmarket later this year, following the division of the case into two distinct proceedings.
In the Toronto trial, which is expected to span four weeks, Stronach initially opted for a trial by jury but subsequently opted for a judge-alone trial. Consequently, Justice Molloy will preside over the trial without a jury and ultimately determine the verdict. Notably, the prosecutors in the case are assistant Crown attorneys Jelena Vlacic and Julia Bellehumeur. In addition to the criminal trials, Stronach is the subject of a civil lawsuit filed by Jane Boon seeking over $4 million and punitive damages, although Boon is not involved in the sexual assault trials. None of the allegations in either the civil or criminal cases have been proven in court.
Following his arrest in June 2024, Stronach, a recipient of the Order of Canada, relinquished his position as Magna’s chair in 2011. Born in Austria, he achieved prominence as one of Canada’s wealthiest individuals through the establishment of the auto-parts giant in the 1950s. Furthermore, Stronach founded the Stronach Group, a prominent entity in the horse racing industry, which operates renowned thoroughbred tracks like Santa Anita Park in California. Both Magna and the Stronach Group have confirmed that Stronach no longer participates in the companies’ operations.