On October 31, 2024, Horse Media Group on its platform horsesport.com published a press release titled Eric Lamaze Breaks His Silence: The disgraced Olympic gold medalist fires back at the accusations and rumors and seeks to set the record straight about recent lawsuits (the “Press Release”). The Press Release is purportedly written by Mr. Eric Lamaze (“Lamaze”). The Press Release is replete with false defamatory statements and innuendo concerning Ms. Karina Frederiks (formerly Ms. Karina Aziz), Mr. Gregory Aziz and Iron Horse Farms (“Iron Horse”). These false statements and innuendo amount to defamation and libel. The Press Release concerns Lamaze’s response to Iron Horse’s civil action against Lamaze and his stable, Torrey Pines Stable Inc. for breach of contract, conversion, breach of trust, breach of warranty, unjust enrichment and misrepresentation (the “Action”). Mr. Aziz indirectly controls Iron Horse and Ms. Frederiks is his daughter, who is a professional equestrian rider. They were the principal witnesses in the Action against Mr. Lamaze.
In the Action, Justice Kurz of the Ontario Superior Court found that Lamaze submitted fraudulent medical documentation which purported to establish his diagnosis of brain cancer. Lamaze was represented during this proceeding by his long-time counsel, Mr. Timothy Danson. Lamaze had every opportunity to respond to Iron Horse’s allegation (proven to be true) that Lamaze lied about a diagnosis of brain cancer. Justice Kurz found that Lamaze submitted forged medical reports from a European cancer clinic when requesting an adjournment of the trial of the Action. Iron Horse established the fraudulent nature of these medical reports with admissible evidence, including evidence from a private investigator who attended the European cancer clinic and obtained a written statement from the legal counsel of the clinic, which confirms that the medical reports are fraudulent forgeries. Following the finding of Justice Kurz that Lamaze submitted fraudulent medical documentation to the court, Justice Chozik of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice granted Iron Horse’s action for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, conversion, breach of trust, breach of warranty, and misrepresentation against Lamaze and Torrey Pines. Lamaze was found liable to Iron Horse in the Action and owes Iron Horse outstanding payments of $572,576.82 USD for damages and prejudgment interest, $104,134.53 for costs and postjudgment interest pursuant to the Order of Justice Chozik, dated August 8, 2024. In addition, Lamaze owes Iron Horse $32,400 in costs further to the Order of Justice Kurz, dated November 6, 2023.
Horse Sport knows about the findings of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. Prior to the publication of the Press Release, it had access to Iron Horse’s Motion Records submitted before both Justice Kurz and Justice Chozik. Furthermore, Horse Sport knows of the outcome of the Action and had access to the court’s judgments and Reasons for Decision.
The particulars of the Press Release’s defamation and libel with reference to specific quotes in the Press Release are as follows. The underlined portions of the passages quoted are defamatory and libelous:
1. “To begin, I am truly heartbroken that the community, which I have loved dearly for more than 30 years of my life, would feel as though they were misled regarding my state of health or that I would be capable of such a harmful lie. That was never my intention nor the reality. I have made efforts toward medical privacy only to protect my experimental treatment plan and emotional well-being during this extremely challenging and frightening life-or-death time. Yet instead, vicious rumors arose surrounding the legitimacy of my tumor, among other things, and as they often do, these rumors quickly spiraled far from my control and, most importantly—the truth.”
• This statement is false and defamatory. It suggests by false innuendo that Iron Horse, Ms. Frederiks and Mr. Aziz misrepresented the state of Lamaze’s cancer diagnosis. Lamaze was found to have submitted false medical documentation in an effort to establish he had brain cancer. These are not “vicious rumors” and, contrary to the statements in the Press Release, are the truth as found by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. Lamaze did not appeal the court’s findings.
2. “I was unable to respond to the accusations against me, the most recent of which dates back to last August, because of the severity of my condition and the advice from my counsel. I only ask that those who rushed to judgment and assumption would instead try to understand why I have struggled with enduring such a vulnerable experience so publicly.”
• This is false and defamatory. Lamaze had every opportunity to respond to the Action. He was properly served with all court materials and advised of the return date of all hearings. For the proceedings before Justice Kurz, Lamaze was represented by experienced counsel. It is also false that Lamaze was unable to respond to the Action because of the “the severity of” his condition. Lamaze’s claim that he has brain cancer is a lie as proven by his submission of fraudulent medical documentation. This false and defamatory statement suggests that Iron Horse, Ms. Frederiks and Mr. Aziz somehow took advantage of someone dying from cancer.
3. “Note: Eric states the medical records detailing his cancer journey, which are currently sealed under a confidentiality agreement put forth by his private treatment clinic, will be made available in 2027.”
• This statement is false and defamatory. Lamaze submitted one legitimate medical report from a throat surgeon. The rest of the medical reports submitted were fraudulent.
4. “I’d like to be clear that I don’t feel any real anger but rather a great deal of sadness for having been ostracized by the horse world in this way and seeing my reputation tarnished after a dreamlike career. At times, this has been too much to bear and contributed to a major setback when combined with my illness, which has weakened me immensely, both physically and mentally.”
• This statement is false and defamatory. It wrongly suggests by innuendo that Iron Horse, Ms. Frederiks and Mr. Aziz took advantage of a deathly ill Lamaze, when his claim that he has brain cancer is a lie as established by the fraudulent medical documentation. It further suggests and states that Iron Horse, Ms. Frederiks and Mr. Aziz wrongly tarnished Lamaze’s reputation when Lamaze tarnished his own reputation by twice claiming to have been dying of brain cancer to avoid legal proceedings in the Action, first in 2019 and again in 2023. In the Action it was found in 2023 that he submitted false and fraudulent medical reports and in 2019 he advised his lawyer he was on his death bed with brain cancer when he was competing in high-level show jumping events in Wellington, Florida.
5. “In these cases, rumors and untruths led to summonses, and the summonses gave way to more rumors that further tarnished my reputation and sidelined me from a sport that was my whole life and kept me alive in my hardest moments. I’ve never claimed to be perfect; my past excesses are well known, but my symptoms were the result of my tumor and entirely unrelated to any substances.”
• This statement is false and defamatory. It wrongly suggests by innuendo that Iron Horse, Ms. Frederiks and Mr. Aziz took advantage of a deathly ill Lamaze, when his claim that he has brain cancer is a lie as established by the fraudulent medical documentation. Lamaze has been sidelined from his career due to his refusal to undergo a required drug test at the Valkensward Horseshow, and he claimed to have brain cancer. The fraudulent medical documents that were made public proved this was a lie. The FEI suspended Lamaze for 4 years due to his refusal to comply with mandatory testing. As a result, his career being sidelined is his own fault. He failed to take mandatory drug tests and lied to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice about dying from brain cancer.
6. “What I’m suffering from most today is not being able to ride, compete, or be in contact with horses due to this legal harassment. This sport was my passion. With better counsel, better support, and better health, I should never have lost these trials, which shouldn’t have occurred in the first place.”
• This statement is false and defamatory. It wrongly suggests that Iron Horse, Ms. Frederiks and Mr. Aziz took advantage of a deathly ill Lamaze, when his claim that he has brain cancer is a lie as established by the fraudulent medical documentation. Lamaze lost the Action because Iron Horse submitted admissible evidence establishing his liability for breach of contract, conversion, breach of trust, breach of warranty, unjust enrichment and misrepresentation.
7. “First, I’d like to comment on the Iron Horse Farm Inc.-Aziz family case, in which I was convicted by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on August 8. I sold a dozen horses to the Aziz family (Iron Horse Farm Inc.), and I’d like to stress that these horses met the standard for which they were sold when they changed hands, as I’ll document later. I’d also like to point out that Karina Frederiks Aziz didn’t have the knowledge or experience to perform at the level she sought (1.40 -1.50m). Along with myself, she called on the services of some fifteen trainers (!), including Henk Noreen, Juan-Carlos Garcia, Ian Millar, Beth Underhill, and Ainsley Vince, who was also assigned by the Aziz family in the interest of horse trade and sales. Having or hiring so many trainers is suspect, to say the least, in our show-jumping milieu.”
• This statement is false and defamatory. Iron Horse established that the horses, Rominka and Peppercorn/Romen, purchased from Lamaze and his stable and were the subject of the Action did not meet the standard for which they were sold. Rominka was sold as a horse capable of competing in the 1.40 meter class and this representation was false. Lamaze agreed to accept the return of the horse. He testified under oath that he agreed to accept the return of the horse. He accepted the return of the horse. The transport documentation establishes the Rominka was returned in good order. Lamaze then resold Rominka to another undisclosed buyer, pocketed the purchase price and refused to refund the agreed upon sum for the return of Rominka to Iron Horse. Peppercorn was sold to Iron Horse under a false name. Its real name is Romen. A 2023 veterinarian examination established Peppercorn/Romen underwent a neurectomy, exposing Iron Horse and Ms. Frederiks to significant risk. The veterinarian examination, which included an x-ray established Peppercorn/Romen had two microchips. These issues were subject to the Action for which Iron Horse was granted judgment. Lamaze defended the Action, in part, on the basis that Ms. Frederiks did not have the knowledge or experience to perform with the horses. Nonetheless the Action was granted. Ms. Frederiks did not have “some 15 trainers”. The statement that having 15 trainers, which is false, is defamatory to Ms. Frederiks, an accomplished professional equestrian rider.
8. “What the Aziz family forgets to mention is that, among other things, several other young horses purchased for Ainsley Vince were successful in reaching Grand Prix level. For example, the horses Top Gun and Cantero were valued at Grand Prix level, and the Azizes received high purchase offers, which they turned down. Others were returned because they were considered “dangerous” or not up to quality, such as Nosco de Blondel, despite accumulating some good results for Karina Frederiks Aziz and Ainsley Vince at the 1.40m level. After they returned Nosco de Blondel, he went on to become individual European reserve champion in young riders (U21) and team bronze medalist at Ebreichsdorf in Austria in 2012 with Petronella Andersson. Perhaps this gelding was not ultimately the desired fit for Aziz, but a medal with a young rider at 1.50m is evidence he was both safe and capable at this level.”
• This statement is false and defamatory. Ms. Frederiks never rode Nosco de Blondel and there was no allegation by Iron Horse in the Action that that horse was dangerous. This horse was not subject to the Action. This false statement is defamatory by wrongly implying that Ms. Frederiks and Iron Horse advanced an allegation that was not proven at court and that Ms. Frederiks is not a skilled rider.
9. “It should be noted that all the horses I sold to the Aziz family had naturally undergone a meticulous veterinary examination by the buyer’s veterinarian (Iron Horse Farm Inc.) as specified on the invoices and sales contracts issued by Torrey Pines Stable and therefore accepted following this visit.”
• This statement is false and defamatory. Iron Horse relied on Lamaze and its consultant, Ms. Ainsley Vince, to ensure the horses purchased from Lamaze were sound. Ms. Vince, Iron Horse’s consultant who provided advice on the purchase of the horses from Lamaze, provided the buyer’s veterinarian inspection on behalf of Iron Horse. No one from Iron Horse was present at the veterinarian’s inspection. In addition, the assessment undertaken during a buyer’s veterinarian’s inspection would not reveal a neurectomy. Ms. Frederiks was a minor at the time of purchase looking to advance her career in the sport. Iron Horse needed and obtained and relied upon the expertise of Lamaze and his representations to ensure the horses purchased were able and fit.
10. “I sold Jumping Mouse for $100,000, but he was returned to me on the pretense that he was a dangerous horse. As a young horse, Jumping Mouse was developed with care in France by Kevin Staut and Thimothée Anciaume (riders with exceptional experience in developing horses and wise enough to have noted any potentially dangerous behaviors). Once I took the horse back, I sold him to an amateur rider, Samantha Miles of Vancouver, who showed him for several enjoyable years in the Junior Amateur division without any increased risk or danger to herself.”
• This statement is false and defamatory and states that Iron Horse led inaccurate evidence in the Action. Mr. Kevin Staut and Mr. Thimothée Anciaume had no involvement in Jumping Mouse to the best of Iron Horse’s knowledge.
11. “The Aziz family then bought Rominka for an additional $150,000 after they returned Jumping Mouse. Once again, the Aziz family opted to return Rominka despite achieving respectable results with both Ainsley Vince and Karina Aziz. However, after an injection by Dr. Cummins of a splint on the left foreleg, Rominka’s soundness faltered. Dr. Cummins was not the usual vet, but one specifically chosen by Greg Aziz. The injection agitated the horse’s leg and worsened the condition, as confirmed by Ainsley Vince’s vet (letter from Dr. William Patterson available).
Greg Aziz called me into his office, requesting that I sell the horse and find him another, which I no longer wanted to do. One might ask why Greg Aziz would continue seeking horses from me if these were as “dangerous” as alleged.
Without any agreement, Mr. Aziz sent the horse back to me along with an invoice for $250,000. Astonished, I made several regular attempts to contact him, but to no avail. I now had Rominka on my hands, costing me boarding fees. I then sold her Brent & Laura Balisky, but at a lower price, because her value had depreciated due to Karina’s riding, the injection, and overall mismanagement of the splint. Yet with the Baliskys, Rominka continued to obtain good results (I myself was placed at 1.45 m with this mare).”
• This statement is false and defamatory. Rominka was the subject of Iron Horse’s successful action against Lamaze. There is an outstanding judgment against Lamaze for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, conversion, breach of warranty, breach of trust and misrepresentation for the sale of Rominka. Rominka was sold as a horse capable of competing in the 1.4 meter class and this representation was false. Lamaze agreed to accept the return of the horse. He accepted the return of the horse. The transport documentation establishes the Rominka was returned in good order to Torrey Pines. Lamaze then resold Rominka to another undisclosed buyer and never returned the purchase price to Iron Horse. These issues were subject to the Action for which Iron Horse was granted judgment.
12. “ Another of their disputes concerned a mare named Peppercorn, who was purchased for $265,000. An examination of the forelegs, the report of which was reportedly forwarded to the court, suspected a probable neurectomy. A clinical exam certificate from Europe states there were no scars on the horse in question. All horses purchased by Iron Horse Farm Inc. had undergone and passed a thorough veterinary examination by a veterinarian of their choice.
Peppercorn came from François Mathy, with whom I worked a lot, and to my knowledge, there is no veterinary certificate attesting to any trace of a neurectomy on this horse.
It has also been reported that a second microchip was found in the mare’s neck. However, a horse with two microchips would never be accepted in America. It is perhaps conceivable that a second chip could be injected in the event of the first malfunctioning, but to summarize, there was never any doubt about Peppercorn’s identity.
Beth Underhill then rode Peppercorn in competition without the slightest problem, knowing that it is ill advised to ride a horse post neurectomy. To verify, sensitivity tests were carried out on the horse, which reacted to small blows on the hoof, which further suggests the horse never underwent a neurectomy.”
• This statement is false and defamatory. Ms. Underhill did not compete with Peppercorn. Peppercorn was sold to Iron Horse by Lamaze under a false name. Its real name is Romen. A 2023 veterinarian examination by Dr. Waller established Peppercorn/Romen underwent a neurectomy, exposing Iron Horse and Ms. Frederiks to significant risk. The veterinarian examination, which included an x-ray established Peppercorn/Romen had two microchips. These issues were subject to the Action for which Iron Horse was granted judgment. Lamaze’s farm Torrey Pines Stable was registered on one of the chips and since Peppercorn was a European horse and required a chip to compete in Europe, there is no doubt the second chip was placed by Lamaze to obscure the horse’s true identity. Veterinarian Dr. Waller prepared a report and an affidavit filed with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice establishing that Peppercorn underwent a neurectomy and had two microchips. These issues were subject of the Action for which there is a judgment against Lamaze for breach of contract, breach of trust, breach of warranty, unjust enrichment and misrepresentation for the sale of Peppercorn/Romen. To report anything to the contrary is defamatory and libelous.
13. “As a result of the ruling, I was ordered to pay $786,000 for Jumping Mouse and Rominka, which were originally purchased for $250,000. This leaves $536,000 in what they claimed to be legal fees (they really went all out!) Yet I never received an account of this prosecution nor any documents concerning this process. Odd, isn’t it? Note: This trial was held in my absence, at a time when I was very weak and suffering from memory problems. I didn’t know the date of the session, and I was not reminded by my lawyer, who then “excused” my absence at this session by producing these (false) attestations of my state of health, which subsequently caused a lot of ink to flow (see below).”
• This statement is false and defamatory. There is a judgment against Lamaze concerning the sale of Rominka and Peppercorn/Romen. The judgment for breach of contract, breach of trust, breach of warranty, conversion unjust enrichment and misrepresentation provides for damages payable by Lamaze to Iron Horse in the sum of $515,000 USD, plus prejudgment interest of $57,576.82, plus costs of $104,134.53 plus postjudgment interest. Lamaze was served with all of Iron Horse’s court materials in accordance with the Rules of Civil Procedure. The motion for judgment was only held in Lamaze’s absence because his Statement of Defence was struck by Order of Justice Kurz owing to Lamaze’s failure to pay Iron Horse’s full indemnity costs for responding to his motion to adjourn the trial of the Action and for Lamaze submitting fraudulent medical documentation to the court in support of that motion. Nonetheless, Lamaze was given proper notice of the motion for judgment. Lamaze lied to the court about having brain cancer and is a fraudster.
14. “It’s also important to consider that Karina Frederiks Aziz’s father, Greg Aziz, CEO of National Steel Car, was indicted in the United States by an Alabama court for his part in a much more serious case. This was a multi-million-dollar scam on the Alabama Teachers’ Retirement Fund, for which he was arrested in 2013 as he stepped off his private jet in Chicago. He was charged with ten counts and placed under judicial supervision. He was finally sentenced to pay $21 million and released on 5 years’ probation. All of this can be easily verified and documented by simply googling Greg Aziz.
So, I was found guilty of a scam that never existed…by a person convicted by the U.S. justice system!”
• This statement is false and defamatory. Mr. Aziz was not convicted or any crime, was not found guilty of a scam, was not sentenced to pay $21 million and was not released on 5 years’ probation.
15. “Furthermore, my treatment is guarded by a confidentiality agreement between myself and my doctors until 2027, at which time it will become available to confirm my medical journey. However, I struggle with feelings of betrayal for being forced to air such intimate details regarding my illness to defend my character against such harmful and salacious rumors. As anyone in my position would, I desire respect for my privacy. Yet, those closest to me can also attest to my honesty, as they have watched me go through this aggressive and debilitating illness with their own eyes.”
• This statement is false and defamatory. It implies by innuendo that Iron Horse’s claims that Lamaze lied about having cancer and submitted fraudulent medical documents are harmful and salacious rumours. On the contrary, this is the finding of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice for which Lamaze made no effort to appeal since the court’s finding against him was based upon clear and unequivocal evidence.
16. “Other individuals close to this case confirmed Lamaze’s comments about the Aziz horses after adding a few clarifications. This additional context is crystal clear and refutes all of the arguments on the merits of the case reported in the press that led to Eric Lamaze’s conviction on August 8 by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
The deplorable doubts and speculation about his state of health between 2017 to present day are unjustifiable. As Eric points out in his text, there were enough witnesses to his condition during the period when he tried, despite everything, to continue competing. We received a testimonial from his physical trainer, Alex Moraes, known in Wellington for his work with many of the world’s top polo players and riders. Alex Moraes accompanied Éric Lamaze to the last competition he was physically able to take part in, in Toronto at the end of 2020.”
• This statement is false and defamatory. Iron Horse provided clear and convincing proof that Lamaze misrepresented the state of his health on two occasions in the Action and the Ontario Superior Court of Justice found that he submitted fraudulent medical records to support his claim of suffering from brain cancer.
Iron Horse sued Lamaze for conversion, unjust enrichment, breach of warranty, breach of trust, breach of contract and misrepresentation for the sale of Rominka and Peppercorn/Romen. In the course of the Action, Lamaze twice claimed to have been too ill to participate in the proceedings. In 2018, the first occasion in which Lamaze claimed to be ill dying of brain cancer and unable to be deposed in the Action, he was participating in a professional level equestrian event and he failed to deliver any medical documentation establishing any illness whatsoever, let alone terminal brain cancer. In 2023, he requested an adjournment of the trial of the Action and, in support of this request, submitted fraudulent medical reports to establish his illness and disability due to brain cancer. He committed a fraud on the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Iron Horse, Ms. Frederiks and Mr. Aziz. He now continues this fraud.
Your publication had ready access to the court materials in the Action and had the opportunity to seek comment from Iron Horse, Ms. Frederiks and Mr. Aziz before the publication of the Press Release. It failed to do so despite the obviously false and defamatory statements in the Press Release.
The Press Relesaein its entirety and specifically the statements referred to above are defamatory. This Notice of Action is delivered pursuant to section 5 of the Libel and Slander Act (Ontario).
Iron Horse, Ms. Frederiks and Mr. Aziz demand and require an apology and retraction of the Press Release with the following language to be published in print and on-line no later than November 13, 2023 [sic], failing which an action will be commenced for defamation and libel:
Dear Readers,
On October 31, 2024, we published a PRESS RELEASE titled Eric Lamaze Breaks His Silence: The disgraced Olympic gold medalist fires back at the accusations and rumors and seeks to set the record straight about recent lawsuits (the “PRESS RELEASE”). The PRESS RELEASE contains many statements and innuendos which are false and misleading to wrongly contend that Iron Horse Farms (“Iron Horse”), Ms. Karina Frederiks and Mr. Gregory Aziz have, among other things, (1) taken advantage of the alleged poor health of Mr. Eric Lamaze in the context of a civil action between Iron Horse and Mr. Lamaze (the “Action”), when Justice Kurz of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice has ruled that Mr. Lamaze submitted false and fraudulent medical documentation to falsely claim that Mr. Lamaze was suffering from brain cancer; (2) that Ms. Frederiks’ inexperience as a rider resulted in Iron Horse’s complaints about the purchase of two horses, Rominka and Peppercorn/Romen, despite Iron Horse having obtained a Judgment against Mr. Lamaze for unjust enrichment, conversion, breach of contract, breach of trust, breach of warranty and misrepresentation for the sale of these two horses; (3) that inaccurate or misleading evidence was submitted in the Action by Iron Horse, Ms. Frederiks, and Mr. Aziz, when this is not true and was not investigated by our publication; (4) that Mr. Aziz was convicted of criminal charges in the United States, which is not true; (5) and that Iron Horse, Ms. Frederiks and Mr. Aziz started rumours that Mr. Lamaze’s lied about his health, when no such rumours were started or perpetuated by Iron Horse, Ms. Frederiks or Mr. Aziz. On the contrary, Iron Horse, Ms. Frederiks and Mr. Aziz caught Mr. Lamaze lying about dying of brain cancer on two occasions, in 2019 and in 2023, in the context of the Action.
We did not attempt to verify the truthfulness and accuracy of Mr. Lamaze’s claims prior to our publication of the PRESS RELEASE. We did not attempt to obtain comment or a response from Iron Horse, Ms. Frederiks or Mr. Aziz prior to the publication of the PRESS RELEASE. We were aware of and had reviewed the evidence and materials filed in the Action and the decisions of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in the Action prior to the publication of the PRESS RELEASE, but did not undertake any fact checking prior to publication.
We apologize to Iron Horse, Ms. Frederiks and Mr. Aziz for the publication of the false and misleading statements and innuendo in the PRESS RELEASE, which has been removed from our online publication.
