A $500,000 lawsuit has found that the Olympic show jumping champion faked terminal cancer to avoid “day of reckoning”… as lawyer declares him “very sick – but maybe not cancer.”

Olympic gold medalist Eric Lamaze has been found to have faked his own terminal cancer in a desperate attempt to avoid a trial.

Lamaze, 55, is Canada’s most successful Olympic show jumper but remains embroiled in a £400,000 legal battle with Iron Horse Farm over selling them three horses that allegedly did not meet the quality promised in 2010.

But despite documents appearing to confirm he had cancer, a judge questioned the credibility of his claims.

Judge Marvin Kurz issued two endorsements, the first stating that Lamaze and Torrey Pines Stables, Lamaze’s home, had filed a motion for an adjournment. Kurz didn’t get any further because of “questions about Lamaze’s true state of health.”

Lamaze’s statement on the application said he had been “battling brain cancer for several years,” with the disease reportedly also spreading to his neck. He was said to undergo further surgery on June 11.

Olympic gold medalist Eric Lamaze has been found to have faked his own terminal cancer

Lamaze, 55, is embroiled in a £400,000 legal battle and wanted to avoid his “day of reckoning”.

His attorney, Timothy Danson, filed a statement claiming that Lamaze, who announced his retirement in March 2022, was diagnosed with brain cancer in November 2017.

But Iron Horse’s Jerome Morse questioned the claim, “given that Mr. Lamaze made similar claims in early 2019 in hopes of delaying his discovery.” Morse revealed that Lamaze attended events on March 13, 14 and 16, 2019.

An April 5 medical report was sent by Danson to Morse, who said it “raised suspicion.” Of particular concern were the language used by the doctor who was said to have written the form, an incorrect address and an incorrect prognosis.

The document cited medical problems but did not include any medical records. Instead, only photos of Lamaze’s disfigured face following brain surgery were included.

It was also written in Dutch, with an error in the address of Chirec Delta Hospital, and was supposedly written by neurosurgeon Dr. Nordenyn Oulad Ben Taib signed, even though only French, English and Arabic were on his language list.

Another letter, dated August 2, stated that Lamaze would have to undergo further surgery, with the document apparently written by Dr. Benoit Pirotte was signed in the same hospital in Belgium.

However, a private investigator hired by Iron Horse visited Dr. Pirotte, who denied signing the document in question and confirmed that it was a forgery. Mr Oulad Ben Taib also denied that the signature on the report was his.

The same investigator spoke with an employee of the hospital’s legal department, confirming that the two documents were indeed forged.

Judge Kurz dismissed Lamaze’s request for an adjournment, saying: “Mr. Lamaze attempted to defraud the court by submitting three forged letters falsely purporting to be medical reports about Mr. Lamaze’s dire health condition.”

A judge questioned Lamaze’s health claims and found the documents were forged

However, Lamaze, whose lawyer has resigned, continues to insist he is suffering from the disease

“Mr Morse [Iron Horse’s lawyer] argues that if this fraud were not enough, Mr. Lamaze would have faked terminal cancer, which is an insult to all who have suffered from this dreaded disease.

“He did so only to avoid a “day of reckoning” in a case that was initiated more than a decade ago but has not yet reached trial.”

Danson, who recused himself from the case, said The Daily Beast: “I was surprised and stunned and shocked when the other side had evidence that they were fakes.”

“I have been a trial and appellate lawyer in Canada for 43 years and this is the first time a client has done something like this to me.”

He also added that Lamaze is “very sick, but maybe not with cancer.”

Lamaze, meanwhile, continues to insist that he is suffering from the disease.

When asked about the mounting evidence against him, he replied The Toronto Star: “You’ll never find it because I had cancer.” Did I deceive here and there to protect some doctors and this and that? Of course I was.’

Following the adjournment application, Lamaze was ordered to pay £25,800 to cover costs to Iron Horse and must find a new lawyer by September 29.