Robert Miller wants to know the names of his accusers

A lawyer representing Quebec electronics billionaire Robert Miller says his client needs to know who his accusers are in a proposed class action alleging he paid minors for sex.

The founder of the global electronics distributor Future Electronics cannot present a complete defense if he does not know who is accusing him, argued Thursday Mr. Karim Renno, during a hearing before the Superior Court of Quebec.

A judge hears arguments for three days to decide whether to allow the lawsuit, which alleges Mr. Miller exchanged money and gifts for sex with minors in the 1990s and 2000s.

A class action is not an appropriate vehicle for cases of sexual misconduct, argued Mr. Renno, pointing out that the only one that has ever been authorized in Quebec was against the founder of Juste pour laughs, Gilbert Rozon, and that it was ultimately overturned on appeal in 2020.

Robert Miller, 81, was also charged in a criminal case earlier this year, which is due back in court next month.

The Quebec billionaire, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, has denied the allegations in the criminal case and in the class action application.