Judge sets date for verdict in Carter Hart’s sexual assault case

After months of speculation and almost two months of court proceedings, we now know when we’ll get the verdicts in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial.

Justice Maria Carroccia announced Tuesday that she will read her verdicts on July 24 in London, Ontario. The trial, which is at the closing argument stage, is expected to wrap up this week.

Former Flyers goalie Carter Hart is one of five former NHL players — Cal Foote, Dillon Dubé, Alex Formenton, and Michael McLeod are the others — on trial for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in a London hotel room following a Hockey Canada banquet in June 2018. The woman alleges that after having consensual sex with McLeod, whom she met earlier that night at a local bar, she was sexually assaulted by McLeod and several of his teammates in his hotel room over a period of hours.

All five defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charge of sexual assault, with McLeod pleading not guilty to an additional charge for being a “party to the offense,” or aiding a sexual assault. The maximum prison sentence for sexual assault in Canada is 10 years.

The five players, who were teammates on Canada’s 2018 World Juniors team, were charged with sexual assault in February 2024 after “additional evidence” had come to light, according to London police chief Thai Truong. In 2019, London police closed the official investigation, which was opened in 2018 in the days following the incident, but later reopened the investigation in 2022.

» READ MORE: Former Flyers goalie Carter Hart testifies in Hockey Canada sexual assault trial

The 26-year-old Hart, who is no longer under contract with the Flyers, last played for the team on Jan. 20, 2024. All five players are free agents, and the timing of the verdicts is interesting, as they will learn their fates just over three weeks after NHL free agency opens on July 1. When asked recently, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman did not provide much insight into whether the players would face supplemental league discipline following the resolution of the criminal case.

“We are not going to make any comments on what’s going on. We’re going to let the judicial process do what it has to do,” Bettman said last week from the Stanley Cup Final in Edmonton, Alberta. “We want to respect the process. … What has been alleged is abhorrent, disgusting, and shouldn’t be tolerated.”

Hart was the only one of the five players to testify in his own defense and took the stand May 29.

“The gist was Mike was with a girl back at the hotel who wanted to have sex with some of the boys,” Hart testified about a call he said he received from McLeod inviting him to his room, according to TSN. “I was open to sexual encounters. A single guy, I was having a good time that weekend. I was open to it.”

Hart, who said he was “probably pretty drunk,” later testified that the woman asked the players to have sex with her, and that he asked her for oral sex, and she agreed.

Hart testified that he was sure it was consensual and that none of his teammates did anything to degrade or disrespect the woman, despite allegations from the woman that the players spat on, smacked, and intimidated her.

“I don’t think anyone would have done anything to hurt her,” Hart testified two weeks ago during cross-examination by the Crown (plaintiff). “I think if something happened that she didn’t want, I would have put a stop to it. Other guys would have. I wouldn’t have stayed in the room as long as I did.”

» READ MORE: What to know about Carter Hart's sexual assault trial

Hart, who testified that as many as eight players were in the hotel room at one time, also said he texted another teammate to “get to” the room, saying he did so because that teammate “was one of the only other guys on the team at the time who was single.”

Much of Crown attorney Meaghan Cunningham’s cross-examination on May 30 centered on Hart’s decision to invite that teammate, his recollection of that night, and his admission that he had memory gaps.

“You spent more time in that room doing things for which you have no memory than doing things for which you have a memory,” Cunningham said.

“I’m not sure,” Hart answered.

“You know for sure you never felt like things were getting out of hand in that room?” Cunningham asked.

“Yes,” Hart answered.

“Even though you can remember less than half of what took place in the room?” Cunningham asked.

“Yes,” Hart answered.

Hart’s lawyer, Megan Savard, presented her closing argument on Monday, asking the judge to acquit her client based on his “exculpatory” testimony and his credibility as a “frank” and “forthright” witness, according to the New York Times.