Also appearing were Drabinsky's co-founding partner in Livent, Myron Gottlieb, and the former vice president of finance, Gordon Eckstein. Former Livent COO Robert Topol was also scheduled to appear. Drabinsky and Gottlieb face 16 counts of fraud, Eckstein faces 15 counts and Topol faces nine counts, all in Canada. The executives were first charged with the crimes in 2002 and are free on bail.
Drabinsky and Gottlieb are wanted for fraud charges in the U.S. but have avoided arrest there by staying in Canada.
Founded in 1990, Livent produced Show Boat, Ragtime, Parade and Kiss of the Spider Woman on Broadway, among other shows. Michael Ovitz bought the company in 1998, and accounting irregularities came to light soon after that. A group of 200 investors in the company won a $23.3 million summary judgment in U.S. federal court in 2005.
