Lawyer worries Quebec billionaire will die before trial

MONTREAL — A lawyer seeking authorization for a class-action lawsuit against a Montreal billionaire accused of paying underage girls for sex says he worries the defendant will die before the case goes to trial.

Lawyer Jeff Orenstein says he wants to question Robert Miller now because of the 80-year-old’s declining health.

Orenstein is asking the Superior Court today to authorize the early questioning of Miller and Helmut Lippmann, a 90-year-old vice-president at Miller’s company, Future Electronics.

A doctor called by Orenstein testified that based on medical reports commissioned by Miller’s lawyers, the billionaire is bedridden due to serious health issues, but can communicate.

Justice Christian Immer, however, suggested that even if the early questioning is authorized, Orenstein might only be able to ask questions related to the case’s one representative plaintiff and not other potential members of the class action.

Lawyers for Miller and Lippmann are scheduled to argue against the motion this afternoon.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 18, 2024.

The Canadian Press