Final sentencing in Norval Morrisseau forgery scandal derailed by new allegations
- John Zemanovich
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Convicted fraudster’s sentencing pushed back amid widening dispute between family, foundation and authenticators
By Hadani Ditmars
The Art Newspaper
There was another plot twist late last month in the decades-long investigation into forged works by the acclaimed Ojibway artist Norval Morrisseau, who died in 2007. As a result, the sentencing of the convicted art fraudster Jeff Cowan has been delayed.
What was supposed to be the end of a scandal involving family feuds, Indigenous exploitation and art market skullduggery was upended by allegations made by Cowan’s lawyer that Morrisseau’s estate was complicit in the forgeries.
Cowan, who last November was found guilty on four counts relating to the selling of fake Morrisseau paintings, had previously represented himself in court. But during last month’s sentencing hearing in Barrie, Ontario, he was defended by Nathan Gorham, a criminal defence lawyer with offices in Toronto and Fredericton, New Brunswick.
According to a court document Gorham shared with The Art Newspaper, the lawyer representing Cory Dingle and Gabor Vadas of Norval Morisseau Estate Limited, Jason Gratl, “threatened defence counsel with a defamation action if counsel impugns the conduct of Gabor Vadas and the Morrisseau Estate in this proceeding” on 25 February, by way of a letter. Such action is rare because lawyers typically have absolute privilege to explore most, if not all, avenues and issues when defending a client.
In response, Gorham filed an application for an order that “absolute privilege applies to the conduct of defence counsel in this proceeding”. The application notes that on 26 February, Jonathan Sommers, an art fraud expert and lawyer who led investigations into the Morrisseau case for 17 years, provided the defence with an affidavit from John Zemanovich, his business partner and an expert in the investigation and examination of Morrisseau artworks, “detailing evidence tending to prove that members of the Morrisseau family created and disseminated forgeries. The affidavit further raises questions whether members of the Morrisseau Estate—including the children of Mr Morrisseau, Mr Vadas and Mr Dingle—have profited directly or indirectly from the existence of the forgeries in the market.”
