Canadian fashion mogul Nygard pays $50K fine in Bahamas, but will appeal ruling – Times Colonist

LOS ANGELES A spokeswoman for Peter Nygard says the Canadian clothing manufacturer plans to appeal a ruling in the Bahamas that found he violated a 2013 court order to stop dredging near his beachfront home.

In a statement Wednesday, Sallie Hofmeister says Nygard and his associates "respectfully disagree" with the ruling, but they have paid the $50,000 fine handed down by the Bahamas Supreme Court.

A lawyer for the environmental group Save the Bays, which brought the case against Nygard, released a statement Tuesday calling the court ruling "an extraordinary triumph for environmental justice in the Bahamas."

Fred Smith says Nygard has nearly doubled the size of his property over the years by digging up sand and placing it along his beachfront.

However, Hofmeister says Nygard Holdings Ltd. was issued a permit authorizing the "lawful removal of obstructions" from a marina on the property.

She says the permit was issued after the original court order, and the firm had no reason to believe it was invalid or issued without property authority.

"It remains our contention that the removal and stockpiling of sand from the Nygard Cay marina was carried out in good faith in full accordance with the conditions of a government-issued permit," Hofmeister says.

She also says the company will challenge part of the judge's ruling that requires the company to move the stockpiled sand to a nearby beach.

"There was no evidence presented in court showing that any sand removed from Nygard Cays marina since the injunction had migrated from Jaws Beach," Hofmeister says.

"Therefore we believe there is no justification for requiring the sand to be moved to Jaws Beach."

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Canadian fashion mogul Nygard pays $50K fine in Bahamas, but will appeal ruling - Times Colonist