'Shark Tank' Star Kevin O'Leary Says Wife 'Might Have' Had a Cocktail Before Boat Crash That Left Two People Dead As He Testifies Under Oath In Trial
July 22 2021, Published 1:35 p.m. ET
Kevin O'Leary addressed the court under oath, revealing he's unsure if his wife drank before the boat crash that left two dead.
The 67-year-old Shark Tank judge appeared virtually in a Canada courtroom on Wednesday to discuss the 2019 fatal crash.
His wife Linda O'Leary has been charged with one non-criminal charge of careless operation of a vessel after the boat she was driving collided with another.
Florida resident Gary Poltash, 64, and Ontario native, Susanne Brito, 48, died in the accident.
During O'Leary's testimony, the business mogul was asked about his wife's alcohol intake that night.
Kevin and Linda had been at a dinner party at a property near Lake Joseph. They took their boat home around midnight when she crashed into another vessel carrying 12 passengers.
O'Leary told the court that he didn't remember if Linda had been drinking the night the accident took place.
Revealing she "might have" had a cocktail, Kevin said there were several hours where he wasn't with Linda.
According to reports, Linda's breath allegedly smelled like alcohol, but a female officer testified that Linda told her "someone had made her a drink when she returned from the accident."
When asked about the crash, Kevin said it happened out of nowhere.
"Did you see any lights before the collision?" Linda's attorney asked her husband.
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. You have to work very hard to make a boat that size be that dark," Kevin answered. "It's like it had a shroud on it or something."
The Shark Tank star insisted there were "zero" lights coming from the other boat, and claimed they only turned on after the collision.
Kevin recalled the moments after the crash, calling them "chaotic."
He stated his focus wasn't on his wife or himself but on the passenger that was riding with them.
Kevin says their friend was bleeding from the head, and he didn't learn about Gary Poltash's death until hours later.
Suzana Brito died in the hospital days later.
Following the tragedy, the family of one of the victims who died filed a lawsuit against the O'Learys.
Linda has plead not guilty to carless operation of a vessel.