TORONTO – Former CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi has hired prominent criminal lawyer Marie Henein to represent him as he fights allegations of sexual abuse and assault, according to a report from the Toronto Star.
Henein is best known for representing former Ontario attorney general Michael Bryant who was charged with criminal negligence causing death and dangerous driving causing death following an altercation with a cyclist in 2009.
Prosecutors later withdrew the charges.
Timeline: Sex assault allegations arise after CBC fires Jian Ghomeshi
Henein’s hiring comes as new allegations surface against the former “Q” host.
A male former York University student told the Toronto Star Ghomeshi grabbed his genitals and fondled him while the two were waiting for an elevator.
The incident allegedly happened while Ghomeshi was president of York University’s Federation of Students in the 1990s.
READ MORE: ‘Q’ executive producer on leave amid Ghomeshi scandal
Ghomeshi is currently being investigated by Toronto police after three women came forward with abuse complaints.
He has said he was fired as a CBC Radio host because of the risk that his sex life would become public “as a result of a campaign of false allegations.”
Ghomeshi also said he has engaged in rough sex, but that it was always consensual.
The broadcaster has hired an independent investigator to look at its handling of the situation in the aftermath of the scandal.
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