• Mike Jeffries, the former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, likely suffers from dementia, his lawyers say.
• Jeffries is charged in an international sex trafficking case.
• The illness means Jeffries will be unable to contribute to his own defense, his lawyers say.

Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries likely suffers from dementia and possibly Alzheimer’s disease, raising doubts about his ability to stand trial in a sex trafficking case, his lawyers said.

According to court documents filed Monday and viewed by Business Insider, a neuropsychologist determined that “the combination of Mr. Jeffries’ cognitive impairments” means he would be unable to contribute to his own defense.

Jeffries, 80, was arrested along with his partner Matthew Smith and a third man in October on federal sex trafficking charges.

Earlier this month, Jeffries’ attorneys filed a motion to determine whether he could stand trial.

The neuropsychologist found a “significant neurological deficit” following her examination in October last year and said her “initial diagnostic impressions” were consistent with dementia, the latest filing said.

Follow-up tests this year have revealed further “diagnostic impressions” of dementia and “probably” late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, it said.

A diagnostic impression is a preliminary assessment of a patient rather than a final diagnosis.

“The Michael Jeffries who introduced himself did not remotely resemble a person with a master’s degree,” the filing states.

Problems include “impaired memory, reduced attention, slow processing speed and mild confusion,” it said.

The doctor classified his illness as “irreversible” and said it would get worse over time, the filing said.

A so-called competency hearing is planned for June next year, the BBC reported.

Jeffries, who left Abercrombie & Fitch in 2014, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking charges, as have Smith and the third defendant.

Prosecutors say they ran an international sex trafficking and prostitution business and forced vulnerable men associated with the business to participate in “sex events.”

Between about 2008 and 2015, the defendants used the “so-called casting couch system” in their scheme, Breon Peace, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, alleged in an October press conference announcing the indictment .

The indictment alleges that the men used Jeffries’ power and wealth “to run an enterprise dedicated to fulfilling their sexual desires and ensuring that their international sex trafficking and prostitution business was kept secret in order to benefit Jeffries.” to maintain a good reputation.”

His arrest came after a high-profile BBC investigation quoted several men who said they had been exploited or abused as part of the events Jeffries is accused of.

Jeffries was hired as CEO in 1990, ushering in a period in which the brand relied heavily on sex appeal to sell its chic outfits. The company gained widespread popularity along with a 2003 class action lawsuit alleging discrimination against employees and potential employees based on race and appearance, which was settled in 2004 without admitting wrongdoing.