Crown Abandons Three Sexual Assault Charges Against Frank Stronach
Crown prosecutors have dropped sexual assault charges against auto parts billionaire Frank Stronach involving three of his seven accusers, announcing the decision Monday morning as the defence prepared to begin calling witnesses. The Crown determined that after hearing testimony from these complainants, there was no longer a reasonable prospect of securing convictions beyond a reasonable doubt.
Remaining Charges and Trial Details
Frank Stronach still faces seven sexual assault charges involving four different women. He has pleaded not guilty to all allegations. The trial originally began last month with twelve charges in total, including some that predate 1983 when Canada's sexual assault laws were updated to eliminate the charge of rape.
Crown prosecutor Jelena Vlacic made the announcement about dropping the three complainants just before the defence was scheduled to start presenting its case. The Crown's prosecution evidence concluded last week, marking a significant turning point in the high-profile trial.
Challenges with Dropped Complainants' Testimony
The three complainants whose charges were abandoned presented significant challenges during their testimony. One witness experienced an emotional breakdown on the stand and gave evidence that Judge Anne Molloy described as "garbled" and rambling. The judge eventually excused this witness from cross-examination due to the incoherent nature of her testimony.
Another complainant arrived for her second day of testimony wanting to apologize for lying to the court about whether she had read crucial media accounts of alleged sexual assaults by Stronach involving women not connected to this case. Judge Molloy had to instruct her to stop justifying herself, noting this was not "an opportunity to make a speech." This episode created difficulties for prosecutors who initially allowed the false testimony into the record, prompting a reprimand from the judge.
The third dropped complainant was revealed during cross-examination to have an extensive history of controversial business litigation. A civil judge had previously described this individual as demonstrating deceit and dishonesty in legal matters. Additionally, she had more recently been involved in an incident where she allegedly falsely reported to police that a man threatened to kill her during a dispute.
Details of Remaining Allegations
The charges that remain against Stronach involve four women with varying connections to the billionaire. Two were employees at the time of the alleged assaults—one worked as a groom at his equestrian barn, while another served as a waitress at Rooney's, a bar he owned. Both women allege Stronach sexually assaulted them after taking them to his waterfront condominium.
The other two complainants were casual acquaintances from Rooney's. One alleges Stronach raped her in his condo following a dinner date, while another claims he attempted to rape her at a different apartment location.
Dramatic Courtroom Moments
One of the dropped complainants described knowing Stronach through family connections, testifying that their families had visited together when she was younger. As a 21-year-old university student, her mother asked Stronach to secure her a summer job at his company Magna. At the end of the summer, he invited her to dinner, then asked if she wanted to see the view from his condominium. She testified feeling uncomfortable but agreeing, then becoming "horrified" when Stronach approached from behind and fondled her breasts.
Her testimony about ending up face down on a bed created a dramatic courtroom moment when it became apparent she was referring to preliminary discussions with prosecutor Jelena Vlacic. This prompted defence counsel Leora Shemesh to suggest Vlacic might need to become a witness herself and "take off the robes" to testify about how she prepared the witness. Judge Molloy noted she had encouraged the Crown to have another prosecutor ready to examine this witness, but they failed to do so, creating what she called a situation like "water over the dam."
Soon after, the witness revealed that Vlacic had told her during preparation that she had given "inconsistent evidence" about whether she was crying during the alleged assault. This sparked discussions about whether Vlacic would need to be removed from the case, though Judge Molloy ultimately declined to take that step.
The trial continues with the defence now presenting its case against the remaining seven sexual assault charges involving four women. Frank Stronach maintains his not guilty plea as the legal proceedings move forward in Toronto court.
