Judge in Stronach trial concerned as cross-examination turns to ‘shouting match’

By Canadian Press on February 26, 2026.

TORONTO — The judge presiding over Frank Stronach’s sexual assault trial is raising concerns over one of the complainants’ behaviour on the stand, saying the woman’s constant tangents and interruptions may reach a point where they affect the fairness of the trial.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy, a veteran judge who has presided over multiple high-profile criminal cases, addressed lawyers in the complainant’s absence, telling them she has never come across a similar situation in her decades-long career.

Molloy said the cross-examination has turned into a “shouting match” through no fault of the defence, leaving the judge “increasingly concerned” that the defence is not getting its right to a meaningful cross-examination.

She said the complainant is struggling, but “the accused is still entitled to a fair trial.”

The judge has intervened repeatedly throughout the woman’s testimony in an effort to get her to answer questions clearly and stop speaking over lawyers.

Stronach, who became one of Canada’s wealthiest people after founding the auto parts manufacturer Magna International, has pleaded not guilty to 12 charges stemming from alleged incidents dating as far back as the 1970s.

On Wednesday, prosecutors withdrew one count of forcible confinement related to this complainant.

The woman, who is the sixth of seven complainants expected to testify in the trial, first took the stand Wednesday, laying out her account of an alleged sexual assault in 1986.

She teared up multiple times as she recounted the events of that night and told the court she became a “social recluse” after the incident.

The woman also took several pauses to calm herself down, often at the urging of the judge or Crown.

Tensions rose as cross-examination began Thursday, with the complainant often interrupting or speaking over the defence and occasionally making pointed comments in response to questions.

Defence lawyer Leora Shemesh told the court without the complainant present that the shouting had escalated to the point where she felt she had to ask each question eight or nine times.

“I think there has to be some obligation to ensure that the complainant is effectively being responsive to the questions that are being posed to her,” Shemesh said.

Molloy said she wasn’t sure what else she could do.

“It’s awfully difficult on her too,” the judge said.

“This is a spectacle that I am not comfortable being part of. I’m yelling at this woman — and I need to because she won’t stop.”