Peter Nygård

Arrest and conviction

On 15 December 2020, Nygård was arrested in Winnipeg for extradition to the US to face charges of sex trafficking by the US attorney's office in Manhattan, New York. On 5 February 2021, he was denied bail due to being a flight risk and the risk of him tampering with evidence. At the time Nygård faced extradition to the U.S. On 18 February 2021, it was reported that a lawsuit had been filed by one of the class-action plaintiffs, which named Peter Nygård's niece, Angela Dyborn, as an alleged co-conspirator in the alleged sex-trafficking scheme. On 26 March 2021, Nygård was denied bail for a second time. In April 2021 it was reported that Nygård would face an extradition hearing in November 2021.

On 1 October 2021, Nygård agreed to be extradited to the U.S., to face charges against him that were filed there. The same day Nygård was charged by Toronto police with six counts of sexual assault and three counts of forcible confinement. On 2 December 2021, it was reported that Nygård would not face charges by Winnipeg police following a ten-month investigation into allegations of sexual assault from eight women against him.

In November 2023, Nygård was found guilty of sexual assault by a Canadian jury in Toronto, after a six-week trial. The 82-year-old Nygård was convicted for assaults on four women, ranging in age from 16 to 28 at the time of the offenses, occurring between the late 1980s and 2005. The assaults reportedly took place in a secure luxury bedroom in his company's headquarters. Nygård denied the charges, with his defense team suggesting the victims were seeking financial gain. Nygård is also facing further legal charges, including a trial in Montreal, charges in Winnipeg, and potential extradition to the U.S. for related crimes. The preliminary inquiry for the charges against Nygård in Montreal is scheduled for 28 January 2025.

Nygård's son Kai Zen Bickle commended the conviction saying that his father "used his business talents for evil, to prey on others," and "it's a very good thing that justice was served here." In September 2024, a court in Toronto sentenced Nygård to 11 years in prison for 4 counts of sexual assault.

Nygård has been involved in numerous lawsuits before his arrest in 2020, including suits involving alleged abusive labour practices, tax evasion.

In the 1990s, Nygård settled sexual harassment complaints by three former employees in Manitoba.

In 1999, Nygård sued Linda Lampenius for defamation concerning her comments about Nygård's parties with naked women. The case continued until 2001 when Lampenius states she ran out of funds and had to settle, which consisted of publishing an apology in the newspaper Ilta-Sanomat.

In 2005, Finnish newspaper Iltalehti published an article about sex parties at Nygård's mansion, even featuring a short interview with Jessica Alba where she felt she had to leave a party at the Nygård Cay mansion (she was there filming Into the Blue) after witnessing events at the party. Nygård sued the parent company of the paper Alma Media for slander in Los Angeles. He lost the case.

In 2006, Canadian tax authorities claimed Nygård underreported $15 million in taxes. He argued that he severed residential ties with Canada in 1975; he was ultimately subject to taxes on an unreported $2 million.

In 2008, Nygård was sued in Los Angeles County Superior Court by a former girlfriend for slamming a door on her hand. He quickly settled the lawsuit.

In 2012, Nygård launched a lawsuit against the CBC regarding copyright issues about private videos taken at his residence, which were then used in an April 2010 documentary. He had also launched a copyright complaint with the U.S. District Court in New York and a lawsuit in Manitoba to prevent the piece from airing. He had previously sued two former employees for releasing confidential information and his lawyer claimed the CBC harassed many of the employees. Nygård launched a civil suit against his neighbour and the Lyford Cay Property Owners Association alleging they conspired with the CBC to damage his reputation; he also filed a private criminal prosecution against three CBC journalists accusing them of conspiring to discredit him and his clothing empire.

On 15 November 2019, a judge in the Bahamas sentenced Nygård to 90 days in prison and fined him $150,000 after finding he breached a court order prohibiting the disclosure of emails that were stolen from a non-profit group. He subsequently paid the fine, appealed the contempt order, and obtained a stay of execution of the prison sentence until his appeal was heard. On 1 February 2021, his appeal of the contempt order was dismissed by the Court of Appeal of the Bahamas. On 4 February 2021, Nygård filed a motion requesting leave to appeal to the Privy Council, but the Court of Appeal of the Bahamas refused to grant it. The judge who delivered the refusal said that Nygård could still apply directly to the Privy Council for leave to appeal.