Olympic Champion Eric Lamaze Fined $1.6 Million

As reported by equnews.com, on December 30, a U.S. court ordered Canadian show jumper and Olympic champion Eric Lamaze to pay damages, costs, and fees totaling more than $1.6 million.

The court ruled in favor of former investor and family friend Lorna Guthrie. The legal dispute centered on the sale of the top mare Nikka VD Bisschop and dragged on for around two years. In its ruling, the court concluded that Lamaze had committed fraud "intentionally, to a significant extent and consistently." Among other things, the court found he manipulated medical records that had been submitted to delay the proceedings.

Fake medical information, a riding arena instead of a court, and the second verdict worth millions

The court considered it particularly serious that Lamaze had claimed for a long time that he was suffering from an incurable brain tumor. However, investigations revealed that the doctor's letters submitted were forged; the doctors named confirmed that they had never treated Lamaze.

On top of this was the fact that Lamaze failed to appear at the crucial hearing in November. His representative informed the court that the rider had deliberately decided to go riding on that day instead. The defense team for the accused Lamaze argued that he had fallen into a "procedural trap."They also said that after his assets were frozen in 2023, he could not afford a lawyer for his companies, including Torrey Pines Stables. The court did not accept this argument. Lamaze, at the time, had more than ten months to organize proper representation, but instead entrusted a non-lawyer with legal work – a clear violation of applicable law. The current ruling is one of a series of legal setbacks. In September, Lamaze was ordered to pay approximately $5.5 million to the Rein family in another case.

Lamaze appealed the December decision on January 12.

Photo credits: Pferdefotografie Lafrentz