1 charge dropped ahead of second Frank Stronach sexual assault trial: lawyer

Frank Stronach, the 94-year-old auto parts mogul, is set to face fewer charges in an upcoming Newmarket, Ontario sex assault trial, according to his lawyer. Leora Shemesh announced that one charge of sexual assault against Stronach has been dropped, following a complaint from a single complainant. The trial, scheduled for the following year, will still proceed with charges against Stronach stemming from allegations made by five other complainants.

The billionaire businessman has consistently denied all accusations brought against him. Despite the drop in charges, Stronach remains in legal limbo after being found guilty in a separate Toronto trial for indecent assault nearly five decades ago. Ontario Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy, presiding over the case, ruled that Stronach would not face jail time.

In the Toronto trial, Stronach was initially found guilty on two charges related to separate allegations made by two women. However, Molloy later declared a mistrial on the sexual assault conviction, after Stronach's legal team argued that emails from the complainant's lawyer in a civil case presented an inconsistent narrative with the woman's testimony in the criminal trial. The Ontario prosecutors have since appealed the mistrial decision, leaving the legal proceedings in a state of flux.