Ontario judge to deliver Friday verdict in Stronach trial

A verdict is expected Friday in the sexual assault trial of Frank Stronach, the 93-year-old billionaire founder of auto parts giant Magna International. The decision from Ontario Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy will conclude a high-profile Toronto trial that began in February and saw the number of charges against the businessman significantly reduced.

Stronach pleaded not guilty to 12 charges involving seven women, with allegations dating from the 1970s to the 1990s. Over the course of the trial, prosecutors withdrew one charge and agreed Stronach should be found not guilty on four others. Justice Molloy also indicated she could not convict on two charges related to one complainant, whose testimony she deemed unreliable. That leaves five charges involving three women.

The remaining allegations stem from incidents said to have occurred after encounters at Rooneys, a popular Toronto restaurant and nightclub Stronach owned. One complainant, a former server at Rooneys, testified she met Stronach for dinner in the early 1980s to discuss her termination. She said he later groped her while helping her with her coat in his condo. A second woman alleged that after a dinner at Rooneys...