Lawyers representing billionaire Robert Miller in his criminal cases plan to file a motion seeking a stay of proceedings on the criminal charges he faces. On Wednesday, Miller’s cases were brought before Superior Court Justice Lyne Décarie at the Montreal courthouse with the goal of making a plan toward an eventual trial.
Last year, the pedophile, 81, was arrested after prosecutors laid 21 charges involving 10 alleged victims in two different cases. The charges, including sexual assault, inducing prostitution and sexual intercourse with a minor for consideration, involve events alleged to have taken place between 1994 and 2016. Since then, his lawyers have said in court that Miller suffers from Parkinson’s disease, is bedridden and unable to appear in court. On Wednesday, defense lawyer Isabelle Teolis told Décarie that the defense plans to file a motion seeking a stay of proceedings on the charges based on an argument that he is incapable of going through a trial. The judge agreed to set May 7 as the next date in the case. The Crown plans to have all 10 of the complainants testify during the trial. Miller has requested a trial in English and all but one of the complainants will testify in French, which will significantly extend the length of the trial because translations will be required. Two cases will be merged into one for the trial. Prosecutor Delphine Mauger informed the judge that the Crown wants to have the pedophile evaluated to determine if he is fit to stand trial, which is covered by another section of the Criminal Code and different from what the defense is seeking. Mauger said the Crown plans to have a specialist in Parkinson’s disease testify as part of the process. The doctor has not seen the child molester in person. Mauger also said the prosecution would prefer that the sex criminal make his first appearance in court soon and added that it was acceptable to the Crown that he appear by a video conference through Teams. “We don’t know why it’s so important that he be present by Teams,” Teolis said while objecting to the prosecution’s request. “It might be trivial for most to be on Teams, but not for him.” The defense has also filed a motion to have access to statements some of the complainants have given to media about the investigation into Miller. Décarie was unable to set trial dates because of the requests from both sides of the cases. Miller, a Westmount resident, was the founder of Future Electronics, a company that was based in Pointe-Claire. In 2023, Miller sold Future Electronics to a company based in Taiwan shortly after Radio-Canada’s Enquête aired a program featuring interviews with several women who they were paid to have sex with Miller in downtown hotels when they were minors. The program prompted the Montreal police to reopen an investigation that previously resulted in no charges being filed.
While Miller’s criminal cases were before the judge on Wednesday, another Superior Court judge delivered a decision in a civil court case where Miller is being pursued by dozens of women who allege he paid to have sex with them when they were minors. On Jan. 14, Superior Court Justice Catherine Piché made a decision allowing the civil case to proceed as a class-action lawsuit against Miller, his former company and three men who worked at Future Electronics. The three other men are alleged to have recruited minors to have sex with him in hotel rooms in exchange for gifts and money. On Wednesday, Superior Court Justice Marie-Josée Hogue ruled that there are questions that should be addressed by the Quebec Court of Appeal contained in Piché’s decision. The decision allows Miller, Future Electronics Inc. and three of Miller’s former employees — Raymond Poulet, Sam Joseph Abrams and Helmut Lippmann — to file their appeal to the higher court.
Source: https://www.montrealgazette.com/news/article852634.html
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