MONTREAL — A Quebec Superior Court judge has ordered the pretrial seizure of two Montreal-area houses belonging to billionaire Robert Miller, at the request of four women who have filed civil lawsuits alleging he sexually abused them as minors.
Justice Serge Gaudet on Friday authorized the request for a seizure before judgment of the two properties in Westmount, saying the plaintiffs have reason to fear that the 81-year-old founder of Future Electronics may try to hide assets.
"It is troubling to note that Miller, a billionaire, has no bank account in his name," the judge said, according to detailed minutes from the court hearing. He also noted the "persistent and significant use" of other names to conceal Miller's assets.
In a sworn statement, the plaintiffs allege that the two houses, valued at over $2 million each, were listed for many years under numbered companies that named lawyers as administrators. "Since at least 2005, the defendant Robert Miller used nominees to conceal his assets, notably Building 1 and Building 2," the document reads.
It also cites testimony from a high-level Future Electronics employee who testified in March that Miller's expenses were paid from a bank account in the employee's name that had been opened for that purpose, and that Miller didn't have a bank account of his own.
The four women are seeking millions of dollars from Miller, alleging they were recruited as high school students to have sex with him in exchange for money as part of what they allege was "a planned system of sexual exploitation of young girls who were minors or recently adults."
Miller has denied all of the allegations, none of which have been proven in court. His lawyer could not be reached for comment on Tuesday. The lawsuits also target some of Miller's employees and associates.
They are not the only legal actions the billionaire is facing. Miller was arrested in May on 21 sex-related counts involving 10 complainants, many of them minors. He has denied the allegations and the case is set to return to court Dec. 12. Miller is also facing a separate proposed class-action lawsuit alleging he gave dozens of minors money and gifts in exchange for sex between 1996 and 2006. That class-action lawsuit has not yet been authorized.
One of the four plaintiffs in the case that led to the property seizure alleges in a court document that in 1999 when she was 14 years old she was recruited by a high school friend to visit a man named "Bob," later revealed to be Miller.
The two girls went to a hotel room, where an employee of Miller's met them and gave them steak and champagne before allegedly sending them to meet the businessman, who offered them each $1,000 for sex, the court document claims. The plaintiff alleges Miller refused to wear a condom because he was allergic to latex.
The plaintiff, whose name is protected by a publication ban, alleges she met Miller more than 30 times between the ages of 14 and 16, being paid each time, and that the alleged meetings ended when she reached adulthood.
She alleges that she became economically dependent on the money Miller gave her, even as she was forced to lie to her friends and family and began to struggle with drug and alcohol use. The drug use along with her feelings of "guilt and disgust" led to a suicide attempt at age 15, according to the sworn statement.
Another Quebec judge hearing the class action case last year denied a request to freeze Miller's assets pending the outcome of the legal proceedings against him, writing that the applicant had failed to prove Miller would disappear or hide his assets if he were to lose a court case.
Gaudet, however, said that new facts have come to light since that decision was made, leading him to believe there is a "structure that aims to hide the defendant's assets," according to the minutes.
Miller stepped down as chairman and CEO of Future Electronics in February 2023, saying he would focus on protecting his reputation and dealing with his health issues.
Miller's lawyers asked for a delay in the criminal case earlier this year on the grounds that that their client is bedridden with Parkinson's disease and that reviewing the evidence with him is complicated.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 19, 2024.
Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press
