(Montreal) A Quebec Superior Court judge began hearing arguments Wednesday in a request for class actions against Montreal billionaire Robert Miller, who allegedly paid minors for sex.
Posted at 6:27 p.m.
Sidhartha Banerjee
The Canadian Press
The application for permission to bring a civil suit includes anyone under the age of 18 who was paid by Mr Miller, the founder of global electronics distributor Future Electronics, for sex, who was allegedly victimized by sexual exploitation by the billionaire, or any person from a group determined by the court.
Me Jeff Orenstein told a hearing Wednesday that 51 women have come forward to his office so far. But the lawyer argued that the real number of victims could be as high as 100, as several of these women reportedly said they had also recruited other girls to have sex with the billionaire.
Me Orenstein argued that when we delve into the details of all the statements, we realize that there are always people they brought, that they did not come alone and, therefore, that the The accusation does not affect everyone.
The modus operandi would have always been the same: The suit alleges that high school students were recruited to have sex with Robert Miller in exchange for money and gifts as part of what it says was a network aimed at sexually abuse girls and young women.
One of the complainants alleges that she was 11 years old when the meetings began. The suit describes sexual acts that took place from the late 1970s to 2016.
Robert Miller, aged 81, was the subject of an investigative report by - last February, according to which he had given money and gifts to minors in exchange for sex, between 1994 and 2006.
Following this report, Mr. Miller resigned as CEO of Future Electronics and subsequently sold the Montreal company.
He was arrested last May on 21 criminal charges involving 10 alleged victims, several of whom were minors.
Mr. Miller has denied the allegations in the criminal case and in the civil class action request, which is before the Superior Court of Quebec for authorization.
The class action has been amended several times since it was filed in February 2023 and does not specify the amount of damages claimed by the plaintiffs.
The billionaire’s lawyer, Karim Renno, told reporters outside the courtroom Wednesday that his client denies having sex with minors.
“Mr. Miller’s position is that he never had sexual relations with anyone under the age of 18,” Mr. Miller said.e Renno. This is the conclusion the police came to in 2009, before they reopened their investigation in 2023.”
Robert Miller was first investigated by Montreal police in 2008 and 2009, but the allegations were deemed unfounded by the Crown. The case was reopened following the - report.
Me Renno told reporters he would argue that a class action for sexual assault is not the right way to proceed. The lawyer cited the class action against Gilbert Rozon, founder of Just for Laughs, accused of sexual assault, which was canceled by the Court of Appeal in 2020.
The lawyer added that it was unfair to his client that the complainants were anonymous. “It is not by keeping the anonymity of the people who accuse that we will be able to get to the bottom of the truth. »
Jeff Orenstein rejected that argument Wednesday, saying class actions in sexual abuse cases exist to bring justice to victims.
“The fact that they can remain anonymous until that point and get justice, that’s actually why sexual assault cases are well suited for class actions,” he said .
Quebec Superior Court Judge Catherine Piché will hear from lawyers representing Robert Miller, Future Electronics and three former employees who were executives of the company and who were part of the alleged scheme to recruit women to have sex with the billionaire. The hearings are scheduled to continue on Thursday and Friday, after which Judge Piché will decide whether to give the green light to the trial.
Robert Miller suffers from advanced Parkinson’s disease and his health is deteriorating, explained Mr.e Renno. “We hope that he will be able to stay alive long enough to be able to defend himself, but that is not something that is guaranteed. »
Me Orenstein indicated that even if the Accused died, his estate would be claimed.
