Timeline: Key events ahead of Frank Stronach’s Toronto sexual assault trial
Frank Stronach, founder of Magna, faces the first of two sexual assault trials in Toronto on Feb. 3, 2026. Here are the key dates and legal steps that led to the trial.
Copy link
By Torontoer Staff
Frank Stronach, the founder of auto parts maker Magna International, is scheduled to begin a judge-alone sexual assault trial in Toronto on Feb. 3, 2026. The 90-something businessman faces multiple charges dating back decades, and a separate trial in Newmarket, Ontario, is expected later this year.
Stronach has denied the allegations. Court documents allege incidents involving multiple complainants in Toronto, Aurora and Gormley between the late 1970s and early 2024. The following timeline lists key events and legal developments in the case.
Timeline of events
- 1957 – Frank Stronach opens a business in a Toronto garage that later becomes Magna International. The company now has its headquarters in Aurora, Ontario.
- 2011 – Stronach steps down as chairman of Magna. Later that year he and his daughter, former MP Belinda Stronach, found The Stronach Group, a horse racing and entertainment company. The business later becomes central to a family lawsuit that ends in a settlement dividing assets between family factions.
- 2012 – Stronach resigns from Magna’s board, in part to focus on creating a political party in Austria.
- June 7, 2024 – Peel regional police announce Stronach has been arrested and charged with two counts of sexual assault, rape, indecent assault on a female and forcible confinement. He is released with conditions. Court documents allege Stronach sexually assaulted three complainants in incidents in Toronto and Aurora in 1980, 1986 and 2023. His lawyer at the time, Brian Greenspan, says Stronach “categorically denies” the allegations and will defend himself against them.
- June 26, 2024 – Police file an additional eight charges: six counts of sexual assault, one count of attempted rape and one count of indecent assault on a female. The Crown says the alleged offences took place between 1977 and early 2024 and involve seven more complainants. Greenspan says his client denies these further allegations and will vigorously defend them.
- August 2024 – Stronach speaks to CBC’s Fifth Estate, saying he did “nothing wrong” and suggesting his accusers are motivated by money. In the same month he replaces Brian Greenspan with defence lawyer Leora Shemesh.
- October 2024 – Magna International announces a targeted review of historical records after the charges against Stronach become public. The company reports finding one previously disclosed settlement related to a historical harassment allegation involving Stronach and Magna Entertainment Corp.
- Oct. 3, 2024 – Court filings add charges involving three more complainants, with allegations dating to the 1980s and 1990s in Toronto and Gormley, bringing the reported total number of accusers to 13. The new charges include sexual assault and indecent assault.
- Nov. 8, 2024 – Leora Shemesh confirms the Crown and defence will split the matters, with separate trials to proceed in Toronto and Newmarket, Ontario.
- Dec. 13, 2024 – Stronach opts for a preliminary inquiry and indicates he wants a jury trial in the Toronto matter.
- April 17, 2025 – An Ontario judge commits Stronach to stand trial on 12 counts in Toronto, following a preliminary inquiry that addressed two charges.
- June 26, 2025 – With the Crown’s consent, Stronach withdraws his demand for a jury and elects to be tried by a judge alone in Toronto. He pleads not guilty to the 12 charges he faces there.
- Nov. 10, 2025 – An Ontario judge rejects a bid by Stronach to quash his committal on one of the Toronto charges. Additional pre-trial motions are heard later in November.
- Feb. 3, 2026 – The Toronto trial begins, to be heard by a judge alone. A separate trial in Newmarket is expected to proceed later in 2026.
Legal posture and public statements
Court records allege a range of offences spanning roughly 1977 to 2024, and involve multiple complainants. The charges in Toronto amount to 12 counts after the preliminary inquiry and committal process. Prosecutors and defence lawyers have exchanged pre-trial motions on procedural and evidentiary issues.
Stronach “categorically denies” the allegations and will defend himself against them.
Brian Greenspan, former defence lawyer
After the police charges were made public, Stronach spoke to CBC and said he had done “nothing wrong,” and suggested the accusations were motivated by financial objectives. His legal team changed in August 2024 when Leora Shemesh took over defence duties.
What to expect next
The Toronto trial scheduled for Feb. 3, 2026, will be heard by a judge alone, with the Crown presenting evidence and the defence responding. The separate Newmarket trial will address additional charges and complainants and is expected later in 2026. As with any criminal matter, the dates and procedures may shift as pre-trial rulings and scheduling matters are resolved.
Defence counsel has repeatedly entered not guilty pleas for Stronach on the charges in Toronto. The Crown must prove each charge beyond a reasonable doubt at trial. Outcomes and timelines for the Newmarket matter will depend on case management and court scheduling.
Background on the principal figure
Frank Stronach built Magna from a small Toronto operation into a global auto parts firm. He left active leadership roles at Magna more than a decade ago and later focused on business ventures and political interests. The emergence of historical allegations and new charges has prompted both legal proceedings and internal reviews at companies linked to him.
The Canadian Press reported the original coverage of these developments on Feb. 3, 2026. This timeline summarises the dates and key procedural steps leading into the Toronto trial.
Frank Stronachsexual assaultMagna InternationallegalToronto
