In addition to the charges filed against him in recent months, fashion mogul Peter Nygard is also at the center of a class action lawsuit involving dozens of women.

The former fashion executive indicted for decades of alleged crimes that span multiple countries, has also been accused in a lawsuit by at least 57 women in the U.S. and Canada who allege Nygard sexually assaulted them, according to the Associated Press.

The lawsuit claims Nygard used violence, bribery, intimidation and other means to lure victims.

The claims are similar to those made in an indictment against Nygard, which accuses him of sex trafficking, racketeering and a slew of other crimes – though the lawsuit was filed months before the charges came down.

It alleges Nygard used his influence in the fashion industry and “recruited, lured, and enticed young, impressionable, and often impoverished children and women, with cash payments and false promises of lucrative modeling opportunities to assault, rape, and sodomize them.”

The lawsuit, however, has also been associated with a feud between Nygard and his hedge fund billionaire neighbor in the Bahamas, Louis Bacon. Nygard has called the allegations a conspiracy sparked by the feud, the AP reports.

The battle between the two, which was documented in a New York Times report, has seen millions of dollars spent, several lawsuits filed and even allegations of plots to kill. But the report also claims lawyers and investigators with ties to Bacon allegedly offered incentives to Nygard associates for information in the abuse case and some women reported they were “promised money and coached to fabricate their stories,” claims Bacon has reportedly refuted.

Still, the Times interviewed many of the women in the lawsuit, some of whom said they were as young as 14 when they were assaulted.

Matching accusations from the indictment, some women say they were lured, drugged and raped during so-called “pamper parties” hosted by Nygard.

“Nygard used fraud and deceit to knowingly lure and entice children and women to his Nygard Cay property under the false pretense of attending “pamper parties” and promising, among other things, interviews for lucrative modeling opportunities when, in fact, he had no intention of fulfilling his empty promises,” the lawsuit states.

Nygard, 79, was arrested in December in Canada and recently charged in New York in what authorities described as a “decades-long pattern of criminal conduct.”

According to the indictment against him, Nygard targeted women and minor-aged girls from disadvantaged economic backgrounds, many with history of abuse, and used them for his own sexual gratification and for the gratification of his friends and business associates.

“He controlled his victims through threats, false promises of modeling opportunities and other career advancement, financial support, and by other coercive means, including constant surveillance, restrictions of movement, and physical isolation,” a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York stated.

His lawyer, Jay Prober, has since denied the charges against his client, The Times reports.

What can you do if you believe were a victim?

Anyone in the United States and Canada who was a victim of sex trafficking or sex abuse by Peter Nygard may qualify to take legal action. Learn your rights by filling out the form on this page for a free claim review.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.