Content Warning: This article discusses sexual assault allegations, which may impact survivors or those close to them.

The defense lawyer for Frank Stronach presses forward with cross-examination of the fifth complainant in the business magnate’s sexual assault trial at a Toronto courthouse. Stronach, 93 and founder of Magna International, confronts 12 charges, including sexual assault and forcible confinement. Two counts involve historical rape and attempted rape, offenses removed from the Criminal Code in 1983 with the introduction of sexual assault provisions. Stronach denies all allegations and enters not guilty pleas.

Fifth Complainant’s Account

The fifth of seven women testifies about incidents spanning 1977 to 1990. She first connects with Stronach through a mutual acquaintance in the early 1980s. In early November 1990, while awaiting a client at a hotel restaurant in Markham or Scarborough, Stronach joins her table. They converse briefly, exchange numbers, and schedule a meeting for the next day.

During that encounter, just months after giving birth, the woman grows emotional recounting her recent breakup. Stronach offers sympathy, consoles her, and proposes they relocate to his hotel suite to talk further. There, she alleges, he rapes her, pleading, “Frank … please don’t do this.”

Defense Challenges Testimony

Defense attorney Leora Shemesh launches the cross-examination Monday afternoon, scrutinizing the woman’s statements against prior police accounts. Shemesh highlights inconsistencies in the timeline of their initial meeting.

Shemesh also confronts the woman over her denial of exposure to media coverage about Stronach, noting it contradicts earlier statements to investigators.

Questions on Business History and Lawsuits

Shemesh delves into the complainant’s business background, pointing out 25 lawsuits against her, some alleging fraud and contract falsification. The woman rejects claims of falsifying documents, attributing issues to poor record-keeping and limited legal knowledge.

Additionally, Shemesh references an active lawsuit from a man accusing the woman of prompting his false arrest and detention through misleading claims. The complainant refutes this, asserting he threatened her life.