A request to recover $200 million from Robert Miller’s estate was rejected by the Supreme Court on Monday.
A Mareva motion – a rarely used legal measure – has been filed as part of a class action lawsuit against the fallen billionaire. 41 participants are now taking part in this chase, which has not yet been approved.
Bear in mind that the businessman is the subject of allegations that he sexually exploited underage girls, according to a report by the program Enquête, broadcast last February.
Since these revelations were made public, Robert Miller has resigned from his position as CEO of Future Electronics. He is now the target of four lawsuits: the class action, then three individual lawsuits seeking nearly $30 million.
According to lawyers representing the alleged victims in the class action lawsuit, a freeze on Robert Miller’s assets was necessary to ensure that victims had access to compensation in the event of a favorable verdict.
In their request, Consumer Law Group lawyers leading the case said Robert Miller’s team was taking steps to hide the businessman’s money. They also claimed that the billionaire’s lawyer pointed out that his money was tied up in his company.
In September, Taiwanese company WT Microelectronics announced that it would acquire all shares of Future Electronics for more than $5 billion.
Lawyers for the alleged victims are concerned about the possibility that this money will not return to Canadian soil and be inaccessible to their clients.
This did not convince judge Eleni Yiannakis. There is no evidence, even prima facie, that there is a real risk that the assets of defendants Miller and Future Electronics will be lost, she wrote in her decision.
Jeff Orenstein of the Consumer Law Group said he was disappointed by the decision. “We will discuss the ruling with our customers and evaluate our options,” he wrote to Radio-Canada.
One thing is certain: We are moving forward with the class action lawsuit to achieve justice for all members of the group. If we are successful in the matter, we will use all available legal means to compensate our clients.