NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Dozens more women have come forward with information related to a lfederal lawsuit against Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard, which alleges the billionaire Lyford Cay property owner used his wealth and political influence in The Bahamas to lure, rape and sodomize numerous young girls.
In a joint statement, Greg Gutzler and Lisa Haba, the attorneys for the accusers, said more than 100 witnesses, including dozens more alleged victims, have come forward with evidence related to the alleged rapes and sexual assaults since the class action lawsuit was filed last week.
“The brave women who have stepped forward thus far made the choice to hold Nygard responsible for his actions, regardless of his attempts to intimidate them into silence,” the attorneys alleged.
“While the allegations against Nygard are difficult to read, it is important that we put them in the public domain so that the [alleged] abuse can stop and he can no longer hide or run from his actions.”
The attorneys expressed confidence the allegations are accurate, insisting they have been verified and corroborated following years of independent investigation. However, the attorneys asserted there may be additional alleged victims who have yet to come forward.
“While we cannot force anyone to do so, we want these women to know that they are stronger and their voice is more powerful than the man who inflicted this horrible alleged abuse,” the statement read.
“Peter Nygard’s reign of terror has come to an end and we are committed to ensuring that he is brought to justice.”
The federal class action lawsuit filed in a Manhattan Court last Thursday, details allegations of a decades-long sex-trafficking scheme that Nygard and his companies knowingly facilitated and benefitted from – and Bahamian officials were paid to ignore.
The class action complaint claims Nygard bribed Bahamian police officers and further seeks to correlate the fashion designer’s financial contributions and engagement with the Progressive Liberal Party as evidence of his political influence.
It also alleged Nygard provided PLP party members and corrupts police officers with “children and young women to engage in commercial sex acts with”.
The Free National Movement (FNM) said this week the allegations of are “revolting beyond imagination”.
The PLP labelled the allegations relating to the party as a “mere scare tactics” politically motivated by “FNM surrogates”
Bahamian authorities have launched an investigation related to the allegations, Chief Superintendent Solomon Cash confirmed.
The complaint details the accounts of 10 women, six of whom were minors at the time, and who were allegedly lured to Nygard Cay in hopes of landing modeling contracts or fashion careers.
The youngest defendant listed in the complaint was 14 years old at the time of the alleged rape.
The women detailed visiting Nygard’s home and experiencing drugged effects after eating or drinking at the party.
It was alleged that they were taken to Nygard’s bedroom where he forcibly performed vaginal or anal sex. In some cases, the women said Nygard requested for them to penetrate him anally or engage in depraved fetishes like defacating or urinating in his mouth.
Following the ordeal, the complaint states the women were all offered various sums of money ranging from $550 to $5,000.
It further alleges Nygard’s employees often participated in recruiting the women and knowingly engaging in criminal acts in a bid to keep their jobs or prevent themselves from becoming victims.
One defendant is a former employee, who was 29-years-old when she was allegedly drugged and raped in 2014.
Another adult employee claims she was raped by Nygard at his residence in Marina Del Ray, California in 2015.
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