BILLIONAIRE FRANK STRONACH FACES SEXUAL ASSAULT LAWSUIT AND CRIMINAL CHARGES
Billionaire businessman Frank Stronach, who is currently awaiting trial on more than a dozen charges related to sexual assault, is also facing a civil lawsuit filed by Jane Boon.Boon alleges that Stronach sexually assaulted her decades ago when she was a student sponsored by Magna, the auto parts company he founded.
In the lawsuit, she claims that in December 1986, after attending Magna's annual shareholder meeting and a corporate after-party at a Toronto restaurant he owned, Stronach seated her next to him at dinner, where the restaurant's maître d' frequently topped up wine glasses.
He then pulled her onto the dance floor, and later, after dessert, he announced to her driver that she had too much to drink and needed to be taken to a guest house.
Boon alleges that once at the guest house, Stronach undressed her and engaged in unprotected sex without her consent, describing the act as sexual assault and misconduct that has had lasting negative effects on her.
Stronach's lawyer has stated he 'strenuously denies the allegations and will vigorously defend this lawsuit,' while Magna declined to comment.
This civil case is separate from criminal charges against Stronach, who, at 92, is facing multiple counts including sexual assault and indecent assault related to allegations dating back to the 1970s.
The criminal trial is scheduled for early next year in Toronto, with Stronach pleading not guilty.
Boon is not among the criminal complainants, whose identities are protected by a publication ban.