Cardinal Marc Ouellet is back in Quebec Superior Court as he tries to clear his name in the wake of an allegation of sexual misconduct.

Lawyers for Ouellet called several witnesses Tuesday in his defamation suit against a woman who named him in a wider class-action lawsuit against the archdiocese of Quebec.

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Three women who worked with Ouellet took the stand and described him as warm and caring.

They each said they were shocked to learn of the allegations against him and had never heard any prior complaints about his behaviour.

A former church employee named Paméla Groleau accused Ouellet in the class action of several incidents of sexual misconduct between 2008 and 2010, including that he slid his hand down her back and touched her buttocks at an event in Quebec City.

Ouellet has denied the accusations and countersued Groleau for $100,000 on the grounds that she damaged his reputation, honour and dignity.

Groleau has consented to have her name published.

A third complainant is set to testify in Toronto Wednesday at the sexual assault trial of auto parts tycoon Frank Stronach.

Stronach, who is 93, has pleaded not guilty to 12 charges related to seven complainants over alleged incidents spanning decades.

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Two complainants, both women in their 60s, have testified in the trial since it began last week, laying out their accounts of encounters with the billionaire businessman in the early 1980s.

On Tuesday, the second complainant said she met Stronach for dinner after asking him for information on her termination from his restaurant.

She said she felt obligated to accept his invitation to see his condo afterward, and that she felt “terrified” when he groped her as she was trying to leave.

All seven complainants are expected to testify in the case. None can be identified under a standard publication ban.

An update is expected today in the case of Canadian businessman Frank Stronach, whose sexual assault trial in Toronto is facing some delays.

The trial was scheduled to begin earlier this week but Stronach’s legal team asked for more time to prepare after receiving what it described as a large volume of new materials that includes several videotaped statements.

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The defence also said it is making an application for more disclosure and that there may be additional motions before the trial gets underway.

Stronach’s lawyers are expected to report back on their progress in court today.

The 93-year-old tycoon, who became one of Canada’s wealthiest people as the founder of the auto parts manufacturer Magna International, is facing 12 charges related to seven complainants.

The charges stem from alleged incidents that took place between the 1970s and 1990s.

Stronach, who has denied all allegations, was charged with 18 offences related to 13 complainants in 2024, but the case was eventually split in two.

A separate trial on the remaining allegations is scheduled later this year in Newmarket, Ont.