A legal battle has erupted within the Aquilini family, owners of the Vancouver Canucks, as Matteo Aquilini has filed a lawsuit claiming he was unfairly excluded from a family trust and the family business due to a supposed retaliatory scheme stemming from historical sexual assault allegations involving an unnamed family member.
In a recent development, Matteo Aquilini took legal action by filing a lawsuit in B.C. Supreme Court against his grandfather, Luigi Aquilini, along with his uncles Roberto and Francesco Aquilini, who also serves as the chairman of the Canucks. The lawsuit targets them both personally and as trustees of the Luigi and Elisa Aquilini Legacy Trust.
The Aquilini Investment Group, a prominent multibillion-dollar entity, boasts a diverse portfolio that includes ownership of the Vancouver Canucks and Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
According to the lawsuit, Matteo is the son of Paulo Aquilini, another of Luigi Aquilini’s sons. The legal action suggests that the passing of Luigi Aquilini’s wife, Elisa, in 2015 created a significant void within the family, leading to turmoil exacerbated in 2020 when allegations of sexual assault, dating back to childhood, surfaced involving a member of Paolo’s family and a member of Roberto’s family.
The lawsuit, while containing unproven allegations, claims that following Paolo’s disclosure of the sexual assault allegations to his father and brothers, they allegedly conspired to retaliate against him. This retaliation supposedly aimed to force him out of the family business and strip his lineage of its rightful share of the Aquilini Investment Group’s wealth.
This legal dispute within the Aquilini family, as reported by The Canadian Press in September 2025, underscores the intricate complexities that can arise within wealthy family enterprises.