Former fashion mogul Peter Nygard is testifying in his own defense for a second day at his sexual assault trial in Toronto. Nygard, the founder of a now-defunct international women’s clothing company, is facing five counts of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement. The alleged incidents occurred between the 1980s and mid-2000s.
Multiple complainants in the trial have accused Nygard of using his position in the fashion industry to lure women and girls. They claim that they were taken to Nygard’s Toronto headquarters under false pretenses, such as tours or job interviews, and were then allegedly sexually assaulted in a top-floor bedroom suite.
During his testimony, Nygard stated that there were three exits from the suite, with only one requiring a passcode since it led to his office. He also described the layout of his company’s headquarters and provided details about the interior of the building.
Nygard denied the presence of “boxes and boxes” of condoms stored in a dresser behind a mirrored door in his private suite. However, he acknowledged that there were likely “some” condoms in a drawer.
Peter Nygard founded the company that later became Nygard International in Winnipeg in 1967. He stepped down as chairman of the clothing company in February 2020 before it filed for bankruptcy.
