Olympic champion showjumper found to have FAKED end-stage cancer to get out of ‘day of reckoning’ in a £400,000 court case… as lawyer declares him ‘very sick – but maybe not with cancer’
- Eric Lamaze, 55, has been found to have faked cancer to avoid a court hearing
- Fraudulent medical documents were lodged, according to private detectives
- Lamaze continues to insist he does have the disease but confessed to a ‘mistake’
Olympic champion Eric Lamaze has been found to have faked his own end-stage cancer in a desperate attempt to avoid a court case hearing.
Lamaze, 55, is Canada’s most successful Olympic showjumper but remains embroiled in a £400,000 lawsuit with Iron Horse Farm, having sold them three horses allegedly not of the quality promised in 2010.
However, despite documents appearing to confirm he was suffering from cancer being submitted, a judge has questioned the reliability of his claims.
Justice Marvin Kurz published two endorsements, with the first stating that Lamaze and Torrey Pines Stables, home of Lamaze, had brought a motion asking to adjourn. Kurz did not proceed due to ‘questions regarding the true state’ of Lamaze’s health.
Lamaze’s notice of the motion stated that he had been ‘battling brain cancer for a number of years’, with the disease also allegedly spreading to his throat. It was said that he was scheduled to undergo further surgery on June 11.
Olympic champion Eric Lamaze has been found to have faked his own end-stage cancer
Lamaze, 55, is embroiled in a £400,000 lawsuit and looked to avoid his ‘day of reckoning’
His lawyer, Timothy Danson, filed a statement claiming that Lamaze, who announced his retirement in March 2022, was diagnosed with brain cancer in November 2017.
But Jerome Morse, for Iron Horse, cast doubt on the allegation ‘in light of the fact Mr Lamaze made similar claims in early 2019, in the hope of adjourning his discovery.’ Morse revealed that Lamaze took part in events on March 13, 14 and 16 in 2019.
A medical report dated April 5 was sent by Danson to Morse, who said it ‘raised suspicions’. Particular concern was raised over the languages spoken by the doctor alleged to have written the form, an incorrect address and prognosis given.
The document cited medical issues but there were no medical records attached. Instead, only photos of Lamaze’s disfigured face after brain surgery were enclosed.
It had also been written in Dutch, with an error on the address of the Chirec Delta Hospital, and was allegedly signed by neurosurgeon Dr Nordenyn Oulad Ben Taib, despite him only having French, English and Arabic on his list of languages.
Another letter dated August 2 stated Lamaze would require more surgery, with the document seemingly signed by Dr Benoit Pirotte at the same hospital in Belgium.
A private detective hired by Iron Horse, however, visited Dr Pirotte, who denied signing the document in question and confirmed that it was fraudulent. Mr Oulad Ben Taib also denied that the signature on the report was his.
The same investigator spoke to an employee of the hospital’s legal department, where it was confirmed that the two documents were indeed forged.
Justice Kurz dismissed Lamaze’s request for adjournment, saying: ‘Mr Lamaze attempted to perpetrate a fraud on the court by filing three forged letters, which falsely purport to be medical reports regarding Mr Lamaze’s dire medical condition.
A judge cast doubt over Lamaze’s health claims, with documents found to have been forged
However, Lamaze, whose lawyer has resigned, continues to insist he does have the disease
‘Mr Morse [Iron Horse’s lawyer] argues that if that fraud were not sufficiently egregious, Mr Lamaze feigned end-stage cancer, which is an insult to all who have suffered from that dreaded malady.
‘He did so only to avoid a “day of reckoning” in an action that was commenced more than ten years ago but has yet to reach trial.’
Danson, who has resigned from the case, told The Daily Beast: ‘I was blindsided and stunned and shocked when the other side had evidence that they were forgeries.
‘I have been a trial and appellate lawyer in Canada for 43 years, and this is the first time that any client has done this to me.’
He also added that Lamaze is ‘very sick, but maybe not with cancer’.
Lamaze, meanwhile, continues to insist he does have the disease.
Asked about the mounting evidence against him, he told The Toronto Star: ‘You’ll never find it because I did have cancer. Was I deceitful here and there to protect some doctors and protect this and that? Of course I was.’
Lamaze has been ordered to pay £25,800 to cover the costs to Iron Horse after the motion to adjourn and must find a new lawyer by September 29.
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