Montreal billionaire sued for allegedly paying minors for sex wants names of accusers
Miller, 81, was also charged in a criminal case earlier this year that is due back in court next month.
Kkritika Suri
A lawyer representing Quebec billionaire Robert Miller has argued that his client must be informed of the identities of his accusers in a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging he paid minors for sex.
Karim Renno, Miller's legal counsel, told the Quebec Superior Court that the founder of a global electronics company cannot mount a complete defense without knowing who is accusing him.
The court is currently hearing arguments over a three-day period to determine whether the lawsuit will be authorized. The suit alleges that Miller offered money and gifts in exchange for sexual encounters with minors during the 1990s and 2000s.
Renno contended that a class action is not an appropriate legal framework for cases involving allegations of sexual misconduct. He pointed to a precedent in Quebec, where the only authorized class-action lawsuit for sexual misconduct—filed against the founder of a comedy organization—was overturned on appeal in 2020.
In addition to the proposed lawsuit, Miller, who is 81 years old and battling Parkinson's disease, is facing separate criminal charges filed earlier this year. That case is scheduled to return to court next month.
Miller has denied the allegations both in the criminal proceedings and in the class-action lawsuit application.
