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Canadian business tycoon Frank Stronach is set to face the first of two sexual assault trials on Tuesday. The founder of the auto parts giant Magna, now in his 90s, will stand trial in Toronto before a judge alone. A separate trial is expected to take place later this year in Newmarket, Ont.
Stronach has denied all allegations against him, many of which date back decades.
Here is a timeline of some key dates in the case.
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1957 – Frank Stronach opens a business in a Toronto garage, eventually growing it into Magna International, one of the largest auto parts manufacturers in the world. The company now has its headquarters in Aurora, Ont.
2011 – Stronach steps down as chairman of Magna. Later that year, he and his daughter, former politician Belinda Stronach, found The Stronach Group, a horse racing and entertainment company. Years later, the company is at the heart of a high-profile lawsuit that ends in a settlement essentially splitting the family fortune between two factions.
2012 – Frank Stronach resigns from the company’s board of directors, in part to focus on creating a political party in his native Austria.
June 7, 2024 – Peel regional police say Stronach has been arrested and charged with two counts of sexual assault, rape, indecent assault on a female and forcible confinement. He’s then released with conditions. Court documents show Stronach is accused of sexually assaulting three different complainants in alleged incidents that took place in Toronto and Aurora, Ont., in 1980, 1986 and 2023. His lawyer, Brian Greenspan, says Stronach “categorically denies” the allegations and will defend himself against them.
June 26, 2024 – Police announce they have filed an additional eight charges against Stronach: six counts of sexual assault, one count of attempted rape and one count of indecent assault on a female. Court documents show the alleged offences took place between 1977 and early 2024, and involve seven more complainants. Greenspan says his client denies “and will vigorously defend these further untested allegations.”
August 2024 – Stronach breaks his silence on the allegations on CBC’s Fifth Estate, saying he did “nothing wrong” and claiming his accusers are after his money. That same month, he changes defence lawyers, retaining Leora Shemesh to replace Greenspan.
October 2024 – Magna International says it has launched a targeted review of its historical records in response to sexual assault charges against Stronach. The auto parts company says that to date, its internal document review has discovered one settlement involving a historical harassment allegation against Stronach and Magna Entertainment Corp. that had already been reported.
Oct. 3, 2024 – Court documents show Stronach is facing more sexual assault charges involving three additional complainants whose allegations date back to the 1980s and 1990s, bringing the total number of accusers to 13. The five new charges include sexual assault and indecent assault, and are alleged to have occurred in Toronto and the hamlet of Gormley, Ont., north of the city, the documents show.
Nov. 8, 2024 – Shemesh confirms the case will be split in two, one in Toronto and one in Newmarket, Ont.
Dec. 13, 2024 – Stronach opts for a preliminary inquiry and a jury trial in his Toronto case.
April 17, 2025 – An Ontario judge commits Stronach to stand trial on 12 counts in Toronto after a preliminary inquiry that dealt exclusively with two charges.
June 26, 2025 – Stronach switches from a jury trial to a judge alone for his Toronto case, with the Crown’s consent. He also pleads not guilty to the 12 charges he faces in Toronto.
Nov. 10, 2025 – An Ontario judge dismisses Stronach’s bid to quash his committal to stand trial on one of the charges he faces in his Toronto case. More pre-trial motions are heard later that month.
Feb. 3, 2026 – Stronach’s Toronto trial, which was expected to begin, is delayed after the defence asks for more time to handle a recent influx of new materials in the case.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2026.
The Canadian Press
