The criminal sexual assault case against Paul Haggis in Italy could be coming to an end, with prosecutors in the Southern Italy city Brindisi, where Haggis was charged with sexual assault, requesting that the case be dismissed.
The case dates back to June 2022, when the writer-director was booked and placed under house arrest following the complaint of a British woman who was attending the Allora Film Fest with the director. According to the charges, Haggis allegedly abused the woman for three days (June 12-15, 2022) in the lodgings they shared. As a result of the complaint, the director was kept under preventative house arrest from June 19 to July 4, a decision later revoked by Preliminary Investigation Judge Vilma Gilli once it was determined that there was no risk of recurrence.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Brindisi has told local media that the investigation could not establish that the relationship was nonconsensual.
The case dates back to June 2022, when the writer-director was booked and placed under house arrest following the complaint of a British woman who was attending the Allora Film Fest with the director. According to the charges, Haggis allegedly abused the woman for three days (June 12-15, 2022) in the lodgings they shared. As a result of the complaint, the director was kept under preventative house arrest from June 19 to July 4, a decision later revoked by Preliminary Investigation Judge Vilma Gilli once it was determined that there was no risk of recurrence.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Brindisi has told local media that the investigation could not establish that the relationship was nonconsensual.
- 3/6/2024
- by Valeria Verbaro
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Updated: Leah Remini has filed a lawsuit against the Church of Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige, for harassment, defamation and other unlawful conduct. Remini, who joined the Church in 1979 as a child and left in 2013, claims Scientology’s “mob-style operations and attacks” have “significantly” impacted her life and career.
“For 17 years, Scientology and David Miscavige have subjected me to what I believe to be psychological torture, defamation, surveillance, harassment, and intimidation, significantly impacting my life and career. I believe I am not the first person targeted by Scientology and its operations, but I intend to be the last,” Remini stated in a press release sent out Wednesday.
In a statement released Thursday, the Church of Scientology responded to Remini’s lawsuit, calling the actor and former member “an anti-free speech bigot.”
“If Remini can no longer get a job, she has nobody to blame but herself,” the Church continued.
“For 17 years, Scientology and David Miscavige have subjected me to what I believe to be psychological torture, defamation, surveillance, harassment, and intimidation, significantly impacting my life and career. I believe I am not the first person targeted by Scientology and its operations, but I intend to be the last,” Remini stated in a press release sent out Wednesday.
In a statement released Thursday, the Church of Scientology responded to Remini’s lawsuit, calling the actor and former member “an anti-free speech bigot.”
“If Remini can no longer get a job, she has nobody to blame but herself,” the Church continued.
- 8/3/2023
- by Ethan Shanfeld
- Variety Film + TV
Michael G. Wilson, the longtime producer of the James Bond movie franchise and co-steward of the 007 brand (alongside his half-sister Barbara Broccoli), always had a clear vision for the film that would follow Casino Royale. Kind of. While audiences only realized how great Daniel Craig was in the tuxedo after that ambitious reboot landed in cinemas in November 2006, the filmmakers long recognized they were making something special. So even as Casino Royale was still in pre-production, Wilson took longtime Bond scribes Neal Purvis and Robert Wade aside to make sure that the next Bond movie would spring smoothly out of Casino Royale’s ending.
If you don’t recall, Craig’s debut as 007 recreated the bitter denouement from Ian Fleming’s 1953 novel, with Bond realizing the woman he loved, Vesper Lynd was dead, and that she had betrayed him due to blackmail by a hidden enemy. “The job’s done,...
If you don’t recall, Craig’s debut as 007 recreated the bitter denouement from Ian Fleming’s 1953 novel, with Bond realizing the woman he loved, Vesper Lynd was dead, and that she had betrayed him due to blackmail by a hidden enemy. “The job’s done,...
- 5/3/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
A judge declared a mistrial Wednesday at the rape trial of “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson after jurors, who were leaning strongly toward acquitting him, deadlocked following the monthlong trial in which the Church of Scientology played a supporting role.
Prosecutors said Masterson raped three women, including a former girlfriend, in his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003 and the church dissuaded them from going public for years. Masterson, 46, pleaded not guilty and his lawyer said the acts were all consensual.
“I find the jurors hopelessly deadlocked,” Judge Charlaine Olmedo declared after the jury foreman said there was nothing the court could do to move them closer to reaching a unanimous decision. She set a March date for a retrial in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Olmedo had ordered jurors to take Thanksgiving week off and keep deliberating after they said on Nov. 18 that they could not reach a consensus. A...
Prosecutors said Masterson raped three women, including a former girlfriend, in his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003 and the church dissuaded them from going public for years. Masterson, 46, pleaded not guilty and his lawyer said the acts were all consensual.
“I find the jurors hopelessly deadlocked,” Judge Charlaine Olmedo declared after the jury foreman said there was nothing the court could do to move them closer to reaching a unanimous decision. She set a March date for a retrial in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Olmedo had ordered jurors to take Thanksgiving week off and keep deliberating after they said on Nov. 18 that they could not reach a consensus. A...
- 12/1/2022
- by Corey Atad
- ET Canada
Harvey Weinstein has chosen not to testify in his own defense, an expected outcome as his Los Angeles trial for the rape and sexual assault of several accusers, who have given hours of grueling testimony over nearly two months, nears a conclusion.
Weinstein did not take the stand for his 2020 trial in New York, where he is serving a 23-year sentence. It is considered risky – and is less common – for defendants to testify on their own behalf in criminal sexual assault cases. In separate civil sex assault trials that both played out in October, Kevin Spacey and Paul Haggis each defended themselves from the stand; Spacey successfully, Haggis not so much.
Judge Lisa B. Lench made abundantly clear that she wanted Weinstein on the record saying he was aware of his rights: “I want you to understand that you have an absolute right to testify,” and also the right not to testify,...
Weinstein did not take the stand for his 2020 trial in New York, where he is serving a 23-year sentence. It is considered risky – and is less common – for defendants to testify on their own behalf in criminal sexual assault cases. In separate civil sex assault trials that both played out in October, Kevin Spacey and Paul Haggis each defended themselves from the stand; Spacey successfully, Haggis not so much.
Judge Lisa B. Lench made abundantly clear that she wanted Weinstein on the record saying he was aware of his rights: “I want you to understand that you have an absolute right to testify,” and also the right not to testify,...
- 11/28/2022
- by Josh Dickey
- The Wrap
Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis has been ordered to pay 2.5 million in punitive damages by a New York jury unanimously after finding him liable for raping a film publicist.
A civil rape lawsuit was filed against the filmmaker by former film publicist Haleigh Breest, who alleges the filmmaker forced her to perform oral sex on him and then raped her after they attended a movie premiere in 2013, reports ‘Variety’.
On Friday, the jury unanimously found Haggis liable on all three counts of rape and sexual abuse.
According to ‘Variety’, they awarded the plaintiff at least 7.5 million in compensatory damages. That brings Haggis’s total damages to 10 million.
Haggis said he planned to appeal the verdict.
“I’ve spent all the money I have at my disposal,” he told reporters, quoted by ‘Variety’. “I’ve gutted my pension plan. I’ve lived on loans in order to pay for this case in...
A civil rape lawsuit was filed against the filmmaker by former film publicist Haleigh Breest, who alleges the filmmaker forced her to perform oral sex on him and then raped her after they attended a movie premiere in 2013, reports ‘Variety’.
On Friday, the jury unanimously found Haggis liable on all three counts of rape and sexual abuse.
According to ‘Variety’, they awarded the plaintiff at least 7.5 million in compensatory damages. That brings Haggis’s total damages to 10 million.
Haggis said he planned to appeal the verdict.
“I’ve spent all the money I have at my disposal,” he told reporters, quoted by ‘Variety’. “I’ve gutted my pension plan. I’ve lived on loans in order to pay for this case in...
- 11/15/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Paul Haggis was ordered to pay an additional 2.5 million in punitive damages to a publicist who accused him of rape, bringing her total award to 10 million after a Manhattan civil jury found the Oscar-winning “Crash” director liable for sexually assaulting her in 2013.
Jurors heard testimony about Haggis’ finances before determining the additional award Monday. Before the trial began, Haggis said in court filings that he as already “financially ruined” from having to defend the civil lawsuit filed in 2017 by Haleigh Breest.
The former freelance events publicist accused Haggis of pressuring her to come up to his apartment following a movie premiere where she was working and he was a VIP guest, then forcing her to perform oral sex and raping her. Haggis testified that the encounter was entirely consensual.
Four other women gave testimony and depositions describing similar encounters with Haggis. The same jury of six people decided last week...
Jurors heard testimony about Haggis’ finances before determining the additional award Monday. Before the trial began, Haggis said in court filings that he as already “financially ruined” from having to defend the civil lawsuit filed in 2017 by Haleigh Breest.
The former freelance events publicist accused Haggis of pressuring her to come up to his apartment following a movie premiere where she was working and he was a VIP guest, then forcing her to perform oral sex and raping her. Haggis testified that the encounter was entirely consensual.
Four other women gave testimony and depositions describing similar encounters with Haggis. The same jury of six people decided last week...
- 11/14/2022
- by Josh Dickey
- The Wrap
Damages awarded against Oscar-winning filmmaker total 10m.
Oscar winner Paul Haggis has vowed to clear his name after the New York jury in his civil rape trial awarded plaintiff Haleigh Breest an additional 2.5m in punitive damages.
Haggis was found liable last week of three counts of rape and one of sexual abuse of publicist Breest at his Manhattan apartment after a party in 2013. The jury awarded 7.5m in compensation last week and Monday’s additional award raised the double Oscar-winning Crash writer-director’s damages to 10m.
Speaking outside the court the filmmaker said he had burned through all his...
Oscar winner Paul Haggis has vowed to clear his name after the New York jury in his civil rape trial awarded plaintiff Haleigh Breest an additional 2.5m in punitive damages.
Haggis was found liable last week of three counts of rape and one of sexual abuse of publicist Breest at his Manhattan apartment after a party in 2013. The jury awarded 7.5m in compensation last week and Monday’s additional award raised the double Oscar-winning Crash writer-director’s damages to 10m.
Speaking outside the court the filmmaker said he had burned through all his...
- 11/14/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Danny Masterson has opted not to testify in his ongoing rape trial, he told the court in downtown Los Angeles Monday morning.
The That ’70s Show star has been charged with three counts of forceable rape dating from 2001 to 2003. He has denied the allegations and faces 45 years to life in prison if convicted. Masterson’s decision not to testify follows weeks of intense testimonies from the three women attached to the rape charges, and from a fourth woman (Ghost Dog actress Tricia Vessey) who also alleged that Masterson raped her,...
The That ’70s Show star has been charged with three counts of forceable rape dating from 2001 to 2003. He has denied the allegations and faces 45 years to life in prison if convicted. Masterson’s decision not to testify follows weeks of intense testimonies from the three women attached to the rape charges, and from a fourth woman (Ghost Dog actress Tricia Vessey) who also alleged that Masterson raped her,...
- 11/14/2022
- by Ethan Millman
- Rollingstone.com
Click here to read the full article.
Oscar-winning screenwriter Paul Haggis was ordered Monday to pay an additional 2.5 million in damages in a rape lawsuit, bringing the total to 10 million for a woman who said he sexually assaulted her nearly a decade ago.
Jurors decided on the additional, punitive damages after hearing testimony about Haggis’ finances.
The same jury had already found that Haggis raped publicist Haleigh Breest and forced her to perform oral sex in his New York apartment on Jan. 31, 2013. He says they had a consensual encounter.
Breest brought a civil lawsuit. Haggis wasn’t criminally charged in the matter.
The jury sided with Breest last week, awarded her 7.5 million in compensatory damages for suffering and decided that she was also due punitive damages. Jurors returned to court Monday to work out the amount.
They got a quick course in movie financing as Haggis was questioned about his...
Oscar-winning screenwriter Paul Haggis was ordered Monday to pay an additional 2.5 million in damages in a rape lawsuit, bringing the total to 10 million for a woman who said he sexually assaulted her nearly a decade ago.
Jurors decided on the additional, punitive damages after hearing testimony about Haggis’ finances.
The same jury had already found that Haggis raped publicist Haleigh Breest and forced her to perform oral sex in his New York apartment on Jan. 31, 2013. He says they had a consensual encounter.
Breest brought a civil lawsuit. Haggis wasn’t criminally charged in the matter.
The jury sided with Breest last week, awarded her 7.5 million in compensatory damages for suffering and decided that she was also due punitive damages. Jurors returned to court Monday to work out the amount.
They got a quick course in movie financing as Haggis was questioned about his...
- 11/14/2022
- by Associated Press
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A New York jury on Monday unanimously ordered Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis to pay 2.5 million in punitive damages after finding him liable for raping a film publicist.
A civil rape lawsuit was filed against the filmmaker by former film publicist Haleigh Breest, who alleges the filmmaker forced her to perform oral sex on him and then raped her after they attended a movie premiere in 2013. On Friday, the jury unanimously found Haggis liable on all three counts of rape and sexual abuse. They awarded the plaintiff at least 7.5 million in compensatory damages. That brings Haggis’s total damages to 10 million.
In the hallway outside of the court room, Haggis said he planned to appeal the verdict.
“I’ve spent all the money I have at my disposal,” he told reporters. “I’ve gutted my pension plan. I’ve lived on loans in order to pay for this case in a very naive belief in justice.
A civil rape lawsuit was filed against the filmmaker by former film publicist Haleigh Breest, who alleges the filmmaker forced her to perform oral sex on him and then raped her after they attended a movie premiere in 2013. On Friday, the jury unanimously found Haggis liable on all three counts of rape and sexual abuse. They awarded the plaintiff at least 7.5 million in compensatory damages. That brings Haggis’s total damages to 10 million.
In the hallway outside of the court room, Haggis said he planned to appeal the verdict.
“I’ve spent all the money I have at my disposal,” he told reporters. “I’ve gutted my pension plan. I’ve lived on loans in order to pay for this case in a very naive belief in justice.
- 11/14/2022
- by Antonio Ferme
- Variety Film + TV
A jury ordered Academy Award-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis Thursday to pay at least 7.5 million to a woman who accused him of rape in one of several #MeToo-era cases that have put Hollywood notables’ behaviour on trial this fall. Jurors also plan to award additional punitive damages.
Veering from sex to red-carpet socializing to Scientology, the civil court trial pitted Haggis, known for writing best picture Oscar winners “Million Dollar Baby” and “Crash”, against Haleigh Breest, a publicist who met him while working at movie premieres in the early 2010s.
After hugging her lawyers, Breest said she was “very grateful” for the verdict as she left court. In a statement released later, she said she was thankful “that the jury chose to follow the facts — and believed me.”
Haggis said he was “very disappointed in the results.”
Read More: Woman Testifies In Paul Haggis Sexual Assault Trial: ‘I Felt Humiliated’
“I’m going to continue to,...
Veering from sex to red-carpet socializing to Scientology, the civil court trial pitted Haggis, known for writing best picture Oscar winners “Million Dollar Baby” and “Crash”, against Haleigh Breest, a publicist who met him while working at movie premieres in the early 2010s.
After hugging her lawyers, Breest said she was “very grateful” for the verdict as she left court. In a statement released later, she said she was thankful “that the jury chose to follow the facts — and believed me.”
Haggis said he was “very disappointed in the results.”
Read More: Woman Testifies In Paul Haggis Sexual Assault Trial: ‘I Felt Humiliated’
“I’m going to continue to,...
- 11/11/2022
- by Becca Longmire
- ET Canada
Oscar-winner found liable for rape after 15-day trial.
Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis has been ordered to pay at least 7.5m in damages after being found liable in a civil case of raping publicist Haleigh Breest.
Breest alleged that Haggis assaulted her after a film premiere in New York in January 2013.
She told a civil jury at a court in New York that Haggis offered her a lift home before inviting her to his apartment in Manhattan for a drink, where he allegedly raped her.
Haggis, 69, had insisted that the encounter was consensual. He has not faced criminal charges related to the case.
Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis has been ordered to pay at least 7.5m in damages after being found liable in a civil case of raping publicist Haleigh Breest.
Breest alleged that Haggis assaulted her after a film premiere in New York in January 2013.
She told a civil jury at a court in New York that Haggis offered her a lift home before inviting her to his apartment in Manhattan for a drink, where he allegedly raped her.
Haggis, 69, had insisted that the encounter was consensual. He has not faced criminal charges related to the case.
- 11/11/2022
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis has been ordered by a jury to pay at least 7.5 million to a woman who accused him of rape.
The jury also decided that additional punitive damages should be awarded, but the amount is to be decided later.
Veering from sex to red-carpet socializing to Scientology, the civil court trial pitted Haggis, known for writing best picture Oscar winners Million Dollar Baby and Crash, against Haleigh Breest, a publicist who met him while working at movie premieres in the early 2010s. After a screening afterparty in January 2013, he offered her a lift home and invited her to his New York apartment for a drink.
Breest, 36, said Haggis then subjected her to unwanted advances and ultimately compelled her to perform oral sex and raped her despite her entreaties to stop.
Haggis, 69, said the publicist was flirtatious and, while sometimes seeming “conflicted”, initiated kisses and oral sex in an entirely consensual interaction.
The jury also decided that additional punitive damages should be awarded, but the amount is to be decided later.
Veering from sex to red-carpet socializing to Scientology, the civil court trial pitted Haggis, known for writing best picture Oscar winners Million Dollar Baby and Crash, against Haleigh Breest, a publicist who met him while working at movie premieres in the early 2010s. After a screening afterparty in January 2013, he offered her a lift home and invited her to his New York apartment for a drink.
Breest, 36, said Haggis then subjected her to unwanted advances and ultimately compelled her to perform oral sex and raped her despite her entreaties to stop.
Haggis, 69, said the publicist was flirtatious and, while sometimes seeming “conflicted”, initiated kisses and oral sex in an entirely consensual interaction.
- 11/11/2022
- by Tom Murray
- The Independent - TV
Paul Haggis lost his civil rape trial after a New York jury found the Oscar-winning director liable on charges that he sexually assaulted a former film publicist after a movie premiere nearly a decade ago.
Haggis was found liable on all three counts of rape and sexual abuse, reports ‘Variety’.
The jury deliberated for nearly six hours and the unanimous jury of four men and two women awarded the plaintiff Haleigh Breest 7.5 million in compensation and recommended punitive damages, which will be decided on November 14.
The decision concludes the three-week trial, which hinged on allegations made by Breest, who sued Haggis in 2017, claiming the filmmaker forced her to perform oral sex on him and then raped her in his Soho apartment.
Breest was working as a freelancer at the 2013 event, which Haggis attended as a guest. Though he doesn’t deny the encounter took place, Haggis maintains it was consensual.
Haggis was found liable on all three counts of rape and sexual abuse, reports ‘Variety’.
The jury deliberated for nearly six hours and the unanimous jury of four men and two women awarded the plaintiff Haleigh Breest 7.5 million in compensation and recommended punitive damages, which will be decided on November 14.
The decision concludes the three-week trial, which hinged on allegations made by Breest, who sued Haggis in 2017, claiming the filmmaker forced her to perform oral sex on him and then raped her in his Soho apartment.
Breest was working as a freelancer at the 2013 event, which Haggis attended as a guest. Though he doesn’t deny the encounter took place, Haggis maintains it was consensual.
- 11/11/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
“Crash” director, producer, and co-writer Paul Haggis has been found liable on three counts of rape and sexual abuse.
The Academy Award winner was charged in a civil suit filed by former freelance publicist Haleigh Breest, who alleged that Haggis forcibly had sex with her in 2013 following a movie screening party. Breest was awarded 7.5 million in compensation and recommended punitive damages, as reported by Deadline.
In the recent trial, Breest claimed Haggis forced her to submit to intercourse and perform oral sex on him while digitally penetrating her while she denied his advancements. The New York judge ruled that Haggis was liable of first-degree rape and two third-degree charges of sex abuse and a criminal sexual act.
Four other Jane Does alleged Haggis sexually assaulted or attempted to assault them in separate incidents ranging from 1996 to 2015.
Breest sued Haggis in 2017 and reached a landmark ruling with the Appellate Division of...
The Academy Award winner was charged in a civil suit filed by former freelance publicist Haleigh Breest, who alleged that Haggis forcibly had sex with her in 2013 following a movie screening party. Breest was awarded 7.5 million in compensation and recommended punitive damages, as reported by Deadline.
In the recent trial, Breest claimed Haggis forced her to submit to intercourse and perform oral sex on him while digitally penetrating her while she denied his advancements. The New York judge ruled that Haggis was liable of first-degree rape and two third-degree charges of sex abuse and a criminal sexual act.
Four other Jane Does alleged Haggis sexually assaulted or attempted to assault them in separate incidents ranging from 1996 to 2015.
Breest sued Haggis in 2017 and reached a landmark ruling with the Appellate Division of...
- 11/10/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Crash filmmaker and Million Dollar Baby screenwriter Paul Haggis was ordered to pay publicist Haleigh Breest 7.5 million after a jury found him liable for raping her in 2013, The New York Times reports.
The jury returned its verdict in the civil trial Thursday, Nov. 10, after about six hours of deliberation. Because it was a civil trial, Haggis was never facing prison time; however, on top of the 7.5 million in compensatory damages, he could also face extra punitive damages, which will be determined at a hearing on Monday.
Breest brought her suit...
The jury returned its verdict in the civil trial Thursday, Nov. 10, after about six hours of deliberation. Because it was a civil trial, Haggis was never facing prison time; however, on top of the 7.5 million in compensatory damages, he could also face extra punitive damages, which will be determined at a hearing on Monday.
Breest brought her suit...
- 11/10/2022
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Click here to read the full article.
On Thursday, a jury ordered Academy Award-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis to pay at least 7.5 million to a woman who accused him of rape in one of several #MeToo-era cases that have put Hollywood notables’ behavior on trial this fall. The jury also decided that additional punitive damages should be awarded, but the amount is to be decided later.
Veering from sex to red carpet socializing to Scientology, the civil court trial pitted Haggis—known for writing best picture Oscar winners Million Dollar Baby and Crash—against Haleigh Breest, a publicist who met him while working at movie premieres in the early 2010s. After a screening afterparty in January 2013, Haggis offered her a lift home and invited her to his New York apartment for a drink.
Breest, 36, said Haggis then subjected her to unwanted advances and ultimately compelled her to perform oral sex and...
On Thursday, a jury ordered Academy Award-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis to pay at least 7.5 million to a woman who accused him of rape in one of several #MeToo-era cases that have put Hollywood notables’ behavior on trial this fall. The jury also decided that additional punitive damages should be awarded, but the amount is to be decided later.
Veering from sex to red carpet socializing to Scientology, the civil court trial pitted Haggis—known for writing best picture Oscar winners Million Dollar Baby and Crash—against Haleigh Breest, a publicist who met him while working at movie premieres in the early 2010s. After a screening afterparty in January 2013, Haggis offered her a lift home and invited her to his New York apartment for a drink.
Breest, 36, said Haggis then subjected her to unwanted advances and ultimately compelled her to perform oral sex and...
- 11/10/2022
- by the Associated Press
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Paul Haggis lost his civil rape trial after a New York jury found the Oscar-winning director liable on charges that he sexually assaulted a former film publicist after a movie premiere nearly a decade ago. Haggis was found liable on all three counts of rape and sexual abuse.
The jury deliberated for nearly six hours and the unanimous jury of four men and two women awarded the plaintiff Haleigh Breest 7.5 million in compensation and recommended punitive damages, which will be decided Monday.
The decision concludes the three-week trial, which hinged on allegations made by Breest, who sued Haggis in 2017, claiming the filmmaker forced her to perform oral sex on him and then raped her in his Soho apartment. Breest was working as a freelancer at the 2013 event, which Haggis attended as a guest. Though he doesn’t deny the encounter took place, Haggis maintains it was consensual.
“I am grateful...
The jury deliberated for nearly six hours and the unanimous jury of four men and two women awarded the plaintiff Haleigh Breest 7.5 million in compensation and recommended punitive damages, which will be decided Monday.
The decision concludes the three-week trial, which hinged on allegations made by Breest, who sued Haggis in 2017, claiming the filmmaker forced her to perform oral sex on him and then raped her in his Soho apartment. Breest was working as a freelancer at the 2013 event, which Haggis attended as a guest. Though he doesn’t deny the encounter took place, Haggis maintains it was consensual.
“I am grateful...
- 11/10/2022
- by Rebecca Rubin and Antonio Ferme
- Variety Film + TV
Paul Haggis is liable to pay damages for forcing sex on Haleigh Breest in 2013, a civil jury decided Thursday, rejecting the “Crash” filmmaker’s three-pronged defense that he and the former publicist had consensual sex, that she was seeking revenge and a payday, and that somehow Scientology was behind it all.
A jury of four women and two men ordered Haggis to pay Breest 7.5 million and recommended punitive damages, which will be determined in a second phase starting Monday. Haggis has said the lawsuit, which sat on the runway for nearly six years, has already ruined him financially.
The New York jury began deliberating Thursday at 9:45 a.m. after 15 days of testimony that concluded Wednesday, and rendered their verdict just after 4:30 p.m. The panel found him liable on all three counts of rape and sexual abuse; because it was a civil trial, Haggis faces no jail or prison time.
A jury of four women and two men ordered Haggis to pay Breest 7.5 million and recommended punitive damages, which will be determined in a second phase starting Monday. Haggis has said the lawsuit, which sat on the runway for nearly six years, has already ruined him financially.
The New York jury began deliberating Thursday at 9:45 a.m. after 15 days of testimony that concluded Wednesday, and rendered their verdict just after 4:30 p.m. The panel found him liable on all three counts of rape and sexual abuse; because it was a civil trial, Haggis faces no jail or prison time.
- 11/10/2022
- by Josh Dickey
- The Wrap
Updated, 4:15 Pm: Paul Haggis coaxed Haleigh Breest into his apartment in New York after a party in 2013 with the intent of having sex with her whether she consented to it or not, and then he raped her even as she repeatedly said no, a lawyer for Breest told jurors Wednesday.
As the lawyer, Ilann Maazel, delivered the final closing arguments in the New York sexual assault civil trial, a text that Breest wrote to a friend the next day floated on a video monitor in front of the jury: “And I keep saying no.”
Related: Paul Haggis Sexual Assault Civil Trial: Deadline’s Complete Coverage
“Those are the five most important words in this case,” Maazel said.
After 15 days of evidence and arguments from both sides — read about the closing argument from Haggis’ lawyer below — the jury will start deliberating Thursday morning whether the Oscar-winning filmmaker committed rape and...
As the lawyer, Ilann Maazel, delivered the final closing arguments in the New York sexual assault civil trial, a text that Breest wrote to a friend the next day floated on a video monitor in front of the jury: “And I keep saying no.”
Related: Paul Haggis Sexual Assault Civil Trial: Deadline’s Complete Coverage
“Those are the five most important words in this case,” Maazel said.
After 15 days of evidence and arguments from both sides — read about the closing argument from Haggis’ lawyer below — the jury will start deliberating Thursday morning whether the Oscar-winning filmmaker committed rape and...
- 11/10/2022
- by Sean Piccoli
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Jury deliberations are due to start Thursday in a rape civil case against filmmaker Paul Haggis, tasking a six-person panel with sifting through dueling narratives about what happened between him and a publicist on a night in 2013.
In accuser Haleigh Breest’s telling, she reluctantly agreed to a drink at the Crash and Million Dollar Baby screenwriter’s apartment, then was subjected to unwelcome kisses, forced to perform oral sex and raped as she repeatedly refused.
“This is a horror film by Paul Haggis, and only you can end it,” one of her lawyers, Ilann Maazel, told the jury in a summation Wednesday.
By Haggis’ account, he’s fighting a false claim by a show-business publicist who took a shine to an Oscar winner, signaled interest for months and was a partner — by turns hesitant and eager — in a consensual encounter.
“This lawsuit has utterly destroyed him,...
Jury deliberations are due to start Thursday in a rape civil case against filmmaker Paul Haggis, tasking a six-person panel with sifting through dueling narratives about what happened between him and a publicist on a night in 2013.
In accuser Haleigh Breest’s telling, she reluctantly agreed to a drink at the Crash and Million Dollar Baby screenwriter’s apartment, then was subjected to unwelcome kisses, forced to perform oral sex and raped as she repeatedly refused.
“This is a horror film by Paul Haggis, and only you can end it,” one of her lawyers, Ilann Maazel, told the jury in a summation Wednesday.
By Haggis’ account, he’s fighting a false claim by a show-business publicist who took a shine to an Oscar winner, signaled interest for months and was a partner — by turns hesitant and eager — in a consensual encounter.
“This lawsuit has utterly destroyed him,...
- 11/9/2022
- by the Associated Press
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jury deliberations will begin on Thursday after tense closing arguments in the New York civil rape trial of Paul Haggis, who has been accused of sexually assaulting a former film publicist nearly a decade ago.
It’s unclear how long it will take to reach a verdict, but since it’s a civil trial, the Oscar-winning filmmaker of “Million Dollar Baby” and “Crash” only faces potential monetary damages and not jail time.
The case, which has stretched over three weeks, centers on allegations made by Haleigh Breest, a former film publicist. She filed a lawsuit in 2017 claiming the filmmaker forced her to perform oral sex on him and then raped her in his Soho apartment after a movie premiere in 2013. Breest was working as a freelancer at the event, which Haggis attended as a guest. Although he did not deny the encounter took place, Haggis testified that “none was non-consensual.
It’s unclear how long it will take to reach a verdict, but since it’s a civil trial, the Oscar-winning filmmaker of “Million Dollar Baby” and “Crash” only faces potential monetary damages and not jail time.
The case, which has stretched over three weeks, centers on allegations made by Haleigh Breest, a former film publicist. She filed a lawsuit in 2017 claiming the filmmaker forced her to perform oral sex on him and then raped her in his Soho apartment after a movie premiere in 2013. Breest was working as a freelancer at the event, which Haggis attended as a guest. Although he did not deny the encounter took place, Haggis testified that “none was non-consensual.
- 11/9/2022
- by Rebecca Rubin and Antonio Ferme
- Variety Film + TV
Update:
A New York civil jury of six people will begin deliberations Thursday in a publicist’s rape case against Paul Haggis, after both sides wrapped their widely divergent versions of what happened between the two following a 2013 film premiere in Manhattan.
“This is a horror film by Paul Haggis, and only you can end it,” plaintiff’s lawyer Ilann Maazel told the jurors, who were dismissed Wednesday before getting to work. Breest is seeking unspecified damages, and had testified that she took the matter to civil court to have more control over how it was presented.
Jurors must first determine whether Haggis is liable for battery; then it would determine what sort of monetary damages to award Breest. Her lawyer revisited testimony and depositions from four women who said Haggis either sexually assaulted them or aggressively attempted to; those women are not suing, but presented supporting evidence throughout 15 days of testimony.
A New York civil jury of six people will begin deliberations Thursday in a publicist’s rape case against Paul Haggis, after both sides wrapped their widely divergent versions of what happened between the two following a 2013 film premiere in Manhattan.
“This is a horror film by Paul Haggis, and only you can end it,” plaintiff’s lawyer Ilann Maazel told the jurors, who were dismissed Wednesday before getting to work. Breest is seeking unspecified damages, and had testified that she took the matter to civil court to have more control over how it was presented.
Jurors must first determine whether Haggis is liable for battery; then it would determine what sort of monetary damages to award Breest. Her lawyer revisited testimony and depositions from four women who said Haggis either sexually assaulted them or aggressively attempted to; those women are not suing, but presented supporting evidence throughout 15 days of testimony.
- 11/9/2022
- by Josh Dickey
- The Wrap
Leah Remini attempted to boost Crash director Paul Haggis’ claim that the Church of Scientology is behind the rape allegation that’s landed him in New York civil court, Variety reports.
On Monday, Nov. 7, Remini testified, “Men and women who have been raped absolutely deserve justice. But in this case, it’s absolutely Paul who is the victim here.” Haggis was sued in 2017 by publicist Haleigh Breest, who accused the filmmaker of raping her and forcing her to perform oral sex on him in 2013.
Both Remini and Haggis are former Scientologists,...
On Monday, Nov. 7, Remini testified, “Men and women who have been raped absolutely deserve justice. But in this case, it’s absolutely Paul who is the victim here.” Haggis was sued in 2017 by publicist Haleigh Breest, who accused the filmmaker of raping her and forcing her to perform oral sex on him in 2013.
Both Remini and Haggis are former Scientologists,...
- 11/7/2022
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Leah Remini testified Monday as a character witness in the civil rape trial of fellow Scientology whistleblower Paul Haggis, telling the jury that she and the “Crash” director are among the top enemies of the church that will “gather anything they can to hurt you.”
But the “King of Queens” star, who appeared in the New York courtroom via videoconferences from her Beverly Hills home, did not establish any direct connection between Scientology and the accusations of Haleigh Breest, who is seeking unspecified damages from what she said was a violent rape at his Manhattan apartment in 2013.
Remini, who co-hosted the 2016 docuseries “Scientology and the Aftermath” with previous character witness Mike Rinder, said the trio comprises the top three “enemies” of the church. She said she’s been subject to “constant harassment and stalking” by church members who continue to show up at her house, and the homes of family...
But the “King of Queens” star, who appeared in the New York courtroom via videoconferences from her Beverly Hills home, did not establish any direct connection between Scientology and the accusations of Haleigh Breest, who is seeking unspecified damages from what she said was a violent rape at his Manhattan apartment in 2013.
Remini, who co-hosted the 2016 docuseries “Scientology and the Aftermath” with previous character witness Mike Rinder, said the trio comprises the top three “enemies” of the church. She said she’s been subject to “constant harassment and stalking” by church members who continue to show up at her house, and the homes of family...
- 11/7/2022
- by Josh Dickey
- The Wrap
Updated with more details: Leah Remini testified Monday that Paul Haggis, and not his accuser, is the real victim in his New York sexual assault civil trial.
The former King of Queens star and host of the Emmy-winning documentary series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath – who, like Haggis, is a former member of the Church of Scientology — was the last witness for the Oscar-winning Crash filmmaker, whose lawyers rested their case on the trial’s 14th day.
Related: Paul Haggis Sexual Assault Civil Trial: Deadline’s Complete Coverage
Judge Sabrina Kraus sent jurors home after they heard from Remini, and from a retired spinal surgeon called by Haggis’ accuser, Haleigh Breest, to challenge his claim that he wasn’t physically capable of forcing sex on her.
Speaking over a live video link from Beverly Hills, Remini said that as a self-described advocate for survivors of abuse, she believes that...
The former King of Queens star and host of the Emmy-winning documentary series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath – who, like Haggis, is a former member of the Church of Scientology — was the last witness for the Oscar-winning Crash filmmaker, whose lawyers rested their case on the trial’s 14th day.
Related: Paul Haggis Sexual Assault Civil Trial: Deadline’s Complete Coverage
Judge Sabrina Kraus sent jurors home after they heard from Remini, and from a retired spinal surgeon called by Haggis’ accuser, Haleigh Breest, to challenge his claim that he wasn’t physically capable of forcing sex on her.
Speaking over a live video link from Beverly Hills, Remini said that as a self-described advocate for survivors of abuse, she believes that...
- 11/7/2022
- by Sean Piccoli
- Deadline Film + TV
Leah Remini implied the Church of Scientology is behind rape allegations against Paul Haggis while she appeared as a character witness on Monday in the Oscar-winning filmmaker’s ongoing civil rape trial.
“Men and women who have been raped absolutely deserve justice. But in this case, it’s absolutely Paul who is the victim here,” Remini told jurors. The trial is taking place in New York City, but Remini appeared via video chat from her Los Angeles home.
“The King of Queens” star and former Scientologist didn’t offer much in the way of evidence beyond her assertions that the controversial religion is orchestrating the attacks on Haggis. Her narrative is at odds with one that both sides have largely agreed on — namely, that Haggis’s vocal criticism of Scientology has no connection with the accuser who filed a lawsuit against him. Haggis is in court to defend himself in...
“Men and women who have been raped absolutely deserve justice. But in this case, it’s absolutely Paul who is the victim here,” Remini told jurors. The trial is taking place in New York City, but Remini appeared via video chat from her Los Angeles home.
“The King of Queens” star and former Scientologist didn’t offer much in the way of evidence beyond her assertions that the controversial religion is orchestrating the attacks on Haggis. Her narrative is at odds with one that both sides have largely agreed on — namely, that Haggis’s vocal criticism of Scientology has no connection with the accuser who filed a lawsuit against him. Haggis is in court to defend himself in...
- 11/7/2022
- by Antonio Ferme and Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Paul Haggis choked up and wiped away tears while finishing his defense Friday from the witness stand against a civil trial rape claim by a publicist.
Haggis, 69, reached for tissues after his lawyer finished questioning him a final time following cross examination that began Thursday and stretched into Friday afternoon.
After three days of testimony, the winner of Oscars for Crash and Million Dollar Baby was emotional as he described himself as “a very flawed human being.”
He also said he made Crash, a 2004 film about Los Angeles individuals forced to confront racial issues when their vastly different lives cross one another, because he “couldn’t figure out how to be good.”
The remark by Haggis prompted his attorney, Priya Chaudhry, to ask if his self-criticism was a reference to sexually assaulting anyone.
“Oh, God no!” he answered.
Chaudhry’s questions came after...
Paul Haggis choked up and wiped away tears while finishing his defense Friday from the witness stand against a civil trial rape claim by a publicist.
Haggis, 69, reached for tissues after his lawyer finished questioning him a final time following cross examination that began Thursday and stretched into Friday afternoon.
After three days of testimony, the winner of Oscars for Crash and Million Dollar Baby was emotional as he described himself as “a very flawed human being.”
He also said he made Crash, a 2004 film about Los Angeles individuals forced to confront racial issues when their vastly different lives cross one another, because he “couldn’t figure out how to be good.”
The remark by Haggis prompted his attorney, Priya Chaudhry, to ask if his self-criticism was a reference to sexually assaulting anyone.
“Oh, God no!” he answered.
Chaudhry’s questions came after...
- 11/5/2022
- by the Associated Press
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Following a three-day testimony where Paul Haggis admitted to having more than 20 extramarital affairs, the Oscar-winning director accused of rape called himself a “broken person” in court Friday and continued to deny he raped a publicist in 2013, per Variety.
“I’m a very flawed human being,” he told the New York civil court Friday. He also repeatedly denied that he raped film publicist Haleigh Breest, who claimed the Crash director forced her to perform oral sex on him and raped her following a movie premiere nine years ago.
“She did...
“I’m a very flawed human being,” he told the New York civil court Friday. He also repeatedly denied that he raped film publicist Haleigh Breest, who claimed the Crash director forced her to perform oral sex on him and raped her following a movie premiere nine years ago.
“She did...
- 11/5/2022
- by Tomás Mier
- Rollingstone.com
Leah Remini, who like her friend Paul Haggis is a former Scientologist who left the church and became one of its most vocal critics, is expected to testify Monday on behalf of the “Crash” director fighting a civil lawsuit accusing him of rape.
Haggis’ lawyer Priya Chaudhry argued Friday that the defense should be allowed to call Remini as an 11th-hour witness to testify about “her personal experience with the various tactics used [by Scientology] to destroy her.”
Before the trial began, Haggis’ team won the right to argue that the church was somehow behind the suit brought by former events publicist Haleigh Breest, though they have yet to produce any evidence or testimony making that connection directly.
Also Read:
Paul Haggis Says Rape Accuser Haleigh Breest Giggled, Said She’s ‘Good at This’ Before Sex Encounter
Judge Sabrina Kraus heard Chaudry’s argument to bring Remini aboard as a last-minute material...
Haggis’ lawyer Priya Chaudhry argued Friday that the defense should be allowed to call Remini as an 11th-hour witness to testify about “her personal experience with the various tactics used [by Scientology] to destroy her.”
Before the trial began, Haggis’ team won the right to argue that the church was somehow behind the suit brought by former events publicist Haleigh Breest, though they have yet to produce any evidence or testimony making that connection directly.
Also Read:
Paul Haggis Says Rape Accuser Haleigh Breest Giggled, Said She’s ‘Good at This’ Before Sex Encounter
Judge Sabrina Kraus heard Chaudry’s argument to bring Remini aboard as a last-minute material...
- 11/4/2022
- by Josh Dickey
- The Wrap
Updated with more testimony, 4:33 Pm: Paul Haggis finished testifying Friday in his New York sexual assault civil trial, saying he is still the “deeply broken person” he called himself in a 2011 New Yorker article about his exit from the Church of Scientology, but not a rapist.
Related: Paul Haggis Sexual Assault Civil Trial: Deadline’s Complete Coverage
“Oh, God, no,” Haggis said when his lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, asked if being deeply broken included committing sexual assault. It was his last statement to jurors after three days on the stand disputing a claim by a New York woman, Haleigh Breest, that the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind Crash and Million Dollar Baby raped her in his Manhattan apartment in 2013. The two had been at a movie-screening after party for Side Effects where Haggis was a guest and Breest, a publicist, was working.
Haggis spent the trial’s 13th day defending the sex...
Related: Paul Haggis Sexual Assault Civil Trial: Deadline’s Complete Coverage
“Oh, God, no,” Haggis said when his lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, asked if being deeply broken included committing sexual assault. It was his last statement to jurors after three days on the stand disputing a claim by a New York woman, Haleigh Breest, that the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind Crash and Million Dollar Baby raped her in his Manhattan apartment in 2013. The two had been at a movie-screening after party for Side Effects where Haggis was a guest and Breest, a publicist, was working.
Haggis spent the trial’s 13th day defending the sex...
- 11/4/2022
- by Sean Piccoli
- Deadline Film + TV
Paul Haggis, the Oscar-winning director of “Crash,” declared himself to be “a broken person” in a New York civil court on Friday, while continuing to deny that he raped a film publicist at his Soho apartment in 2013.
“I’m a very flawed human being,” Haggis said, capping a three-day testimony in which he admitted to having between 20 to 25 extramarital affairs and struggling with a sense of self-worth, while also decrying efforts to paint him as a sexual predator.
Haggis is in court to defend himself in a civil rape lawsuit brought against him by a former film publicist Haleigh Breest, who alleges the filmmaker forced her to perform oral sex on him and then raped her after they attended a movie premiere.
Haggis argued that he had channeled his faults into his art. “It’s one of the reasons I wrote ‘Crash’ — because I couldn’t figure out how to be good,...
“I’m a very flawed human being,” Haggis said, capping a three-day testimony in which he admitted to having between 20 to 25 extramarital affairs and struggling with a sense of self-worth, while also decrying efforts to paint him as a sexual predator.
Haggis is in court to defend himself in a civil rape lawsuit brought against him by a former film publicist Haleigh Breest, who alleges the filmmaker forced her to perform oral sex on him and then raped her after they attended a movie premiere.
Haggis argued that he had channeled his faults into his art. “It’s one of the reasons I wrote ‘Crash’ — because I couldn’t figure out how to be good,...
- 11/4/2022
- by Antonio Ferme and Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
A judge ruled at Paul Haggis’ rape lawsuit trial that the defense could call on Leah Remini — who, like Haggis, is a former Scientologist — to testify as a character witness.
Before the trial started in Oct., it was reported that the actress and perhaps the Church’s most high-profile critic could be a potential witness for the defense. On Friday, the judge sided with the Haggis’ lawyers in allowing Remini to testify — over Zoom — in the trial’s coming days.
Remini’s testimony would attempt to lend credence to Haggis...
Before the trial started in Oct., it was reported that the actress and perhaps the Church’s most high-profile critic could be a potential witness for the defense. On Friday, the judge sided with the Haggis’ lawyers in allowing Remini to testify — over Zoom — in the trial’s coming days.
Remini’s testimony would attempt to lend credence to Haggis...
- 11/4/2022
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Updated with more testimony, 5:09 Pm: Back on the witness stand Thursday, Paul Haggis denied sexually assaulting any of the four Jane Does who have testified in support of Haleigh Breest, the New York woman who is suing the Oscar-winning filmmaker and former Church of Scientology member for allegedly raping her in 2013.
On the stand for a second day, Haggis finished his direct testimony in the sexual assault civil trial by saying these “terrible false allegations” had left him both “scared” and “humiliated.”
“I’m scared because I don’t know why women or anyone would lie about things like this, make up or twist the truth,” Haggis said more than seven hours into questioning by his lawyer, Priya Chaudhry. “I don’t know.”
In a halting voice, he said, “To see my daughters sitting in the courtroom right now, my son and my family, I’m humiliated by these false allegations.
On the stand for a second day, Haggis finished his direct testimony in the sexual assault civil trial by saying these “terrible false allegations” had left him both “scared” and “humiliated.”
“I’m scared because I don’t know why women or anyone would lie about things like this, make up or twist the truth,” Haggis said more than seven hours into questioning by his lawyer, Priya Chaudhry. “I don’t know.”
In a halting voice, he said, “To see my daughters sitting in the courtroom right now, my son and my family, I’m humiliated by these false allegations.
- 11/4/2022
- by Sean Piccoli
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Disputing allegations in a rape lawsuit, Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis testified Thursday that his accuser sometimes seemed “conflicted” during their initial kisses but then started taking initiative.
Taking the witness stand for a second day in a civil trial, Haggis portrayed the woman, Haleigh Breest, as a willing partner in their lone sexual interaction.
Breest, 36, testified earlier in the civil trial that she repeatedly and clearly told Haggis, 69, that she wasn’t interested in sex with him. She said the Crash and Million Dollar Baby screenwriter forced her to perform oral sex and then raped her as she implored him to stop.
In Haggis’ telling, Breest — a publicist who worked at movie premieres — flirted with him at a January 2013 screening afterparty before accompanying him to his Manhattan apartment for a drink. He agrees that she told him upfront that she wouldn’t spend the night,...
Disputing allegations in a rape lawsuit, Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis testified Thursday that his accuser sometimes seemed “conflicted” during their initial kisses but then started taking initiative.
Taking the witness stand for a second day in a civil trial, Haggis portrayed the woman, Haleigh Breest, as a willing partner in their lone sexual interaction.
Breest, 36, testified earlier in the civil trial that she repeatedly and clearly told Haggis, 69, that she wasn’t interested in sex with him. She said the Crash and Million Dollar Baby screenwriter forced her to perform oral sex and then raped her as she implored him to stop.
In Haggis’ telling, Breest — a publicist who worked at movie premieres — flirted with him at a January 2013 screening afterparty before accompanying him to his Manhattan apartment for a drink. He agrees that she told him upfront that she wouldn’t spend the night,...
- 11/3/2022
- by Associated Press
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Paul Haggis took the stand on Thursday for a second day in his civil trial and denied the rape charges leveled against him. He testified that he and Haleigh Breest, a former events publicist who is suing him for sexual assault, were flirting and were “having a really good time” after a movie premiere in 2013.
Breest claims the Oscar-winning filmmaker forced her to perform oral sex on him and then raped her in his Soho apartment after an event hosted by the Cinema Society, where she worked as a freelance publicist. He told jurors in a lower Manhattan courtroom that Breest “never gave me any indication it was anything other than consensual” until she filed a lawsuit years later in 2017.
In his hours-long testimony, Haggis, whose credits include “Million Dollar Baby,” “Crash” and “Casino Royale,” presented a different picture of the events that took place on that night. He alleged...
Breest claims the Oscar-winning filmmaker forced her to perform oral sex on him and then raped her in his Soho apartment after an event hosted by the Cinema Society, where she worked as a freelance publicist. He told jurors in a lower Manhattan courtroom that Breest “never gave me any indication it was anything other than consensual” until she filed a lawsuit years later in 2017.
In his hours-long testimony, Haggis, whose credits include “Million Dollar Baby,” “Crash” and “Casino Royale,” presented a different picture of the events that took place on that night. He alleged...
- 11/3/2022
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Paul Haggis Says Rape Accuser Haleigh Breest Giggled, Said She’s ‘Good at This’ Before Sex Encounter
Paul Haggis on Thursday testified that the publicist accusing him of rape initiated kissing that night, giggled while they were taking their clothes off, told him “I’m good at this” before performing oral sex and was “smiling and friendly” when they encountered each other more than a week later.
Haggis also denied the allegations of the supporting witnesses in the civil lawsuit, in which former freelance events publicist Haleigh Breest is seeking unspecified damages.
“I’m scared,” the “Crash” director told the jury in his second day of testimony. “I don’t know why women, why anyone, would lie about things like this.”
At one point, Haggis asked for a brief break, saying he felt “humiliated” testifying about the allegation while his daughters were watching in court. One of his daughters then put her arm around him as they left the courtroom.
Haggis admitted that Breest was apprehensive at...
Haggis also denied the allegations of the supporting witnesses in the civil lawsuit, in which former freelance events publicist Haleigh Breest is seeking unspecified damages.
“I’m scared,” the “Crash” director told the jury in his second day of testimony. “I don’t know why women, why anyone, would lie about things like this.”
At one point, Haggis asked for a brief break, saying he felt “humiliated” testifying about the allegation while his daughters were watching in court. One of his daughters then put her arm around him as they left the courtroom.
Haggis admitted that Breest was apprehensive at...
- 11/3/2022
- by Josh Dickey
- The Wrap
Updated with more details: Paul Haggis took the witness stand today in his Manhattan trial for sexual assault, and the Oscar-winning Crash filmmaker and former Church of Scientology member’s first words when asked by his lawyer Priya Chaudhry how it felt to be testifying were: “I’m incredibly nervous, of course, and I’m very happy. Because for five years I’ve been unable to clear my name.”
Prosecution lawyer Ilann Maazel immediately objected, arguing that Haggis statement was irrelevant, but was overruled by Judge Sabrina Kraus.
Later on Wednesday, Haggis began telling jurors his version of what happened the night he brought a movie publicist, Haleigh Breest, to his apartment in Manhattan — a visit in January 2013 that Breest says turned into a rape and led to her lawsuit against the filmmaker in New York civil court.
Almost immediately, their accounts diverged.
After tearful testimony and occasional name-dropping about his family life,...
Prosecution lawyer Ilann Maazel immediately objected, arguing that Haggis statement was irrelevant, but was overruled by Judge Sabrina Kraus.
Later on Wednesday, Haggis began telling jurors his version of what happened the night he brought a movie publicist, Haleigh Breest, to his apartment in Manhattan — a visit in January 2013 that Breest says turned into a rape and led to her lawsuit against the filmmaker in New York civil court.
Almost immediately, their accounts diverged.
After tearful testimony and occasional name-dropping about his family life,...
- 11/3/2022
- by Sean Piccoli
- Deadline Film + TV
Paul Haggis expressed feeling “incredibly nervous” but “very happy” to take the witness stand Wednesday in the trial of a civil rape lawsuit against him.
“For five years, I’ve been unable to clear my name,” the Oscar-winning filmmaker told jurors in a lower Manhattan courtroom. “Now, I will.”
The civil rape trial stretched into its second week as Haggis testified that he consensually had sex with former film publicist Haleigh Breest in 2013. Breest, who filed a lawsuit in 2017, is suing Haggis for claims the filmmaker forced her to perform oral sex on him and then raped her in his Soho apartment after a movie premiere nearly a decade ago.
“[Breest] never gave me any indication it was anything other than consensual,” he told jurors during the hours-long testimony.
Court was dismissed before Haggis got to the heart of his testimony about what he claims happened that night, but he started...
“For five years, I’ve been unable to clear my name,” the Oscar-winning filmmaker told jurors in a lower Manhattan courtroom. “Now, I will.”
The civil rape trial stretched into its second week as Haggis testified that he consensually had sex with former film publicist Haleigh Breest in 2013. Breest, who filed a lawsuit in 2017, is suing Haggis for claims the filmmaker forced her to perform oral sex on him and then raped her in his Soho apartment after a movie premiere nearly a decade ago.
“[Breest] never gave me any indication it was anything other than consensual,” he told jurors during the hours-long testimony.
Court was dismissed before Haggis got to the heart of his testimony about what he claims happened that night, but he started...
- 11/2/2022
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Paul Haggis Takes the Stand, Does Not Address Rape Allegations in Day of Scientology-Heavy Testimony
Paul Haggis testified Monday on his own behalf – the first time he’s spoken to the New York civil jury that will weigh whether to compensate a former events publicist who says the “Crash” director raped her in 2013 – and he barely got his first words out before an objection.
Asked by his own lawyer how he felt taking the stand, Haggis said: “I’m incredibly nervous, of course, and I’m very happy. Because for five years I’ve been unable to clear my name.”
Ilann Maazel, who is representing plaintiff Haleigh Breest, objected – but Judge Sabrina Kraus overruled her and the statement was allowed to stand, according to Deadline.
Also Read:
Paul Haggis Accuser Says Director Tricked Her Into a ‘Date,’ Relentlessly ‘Shadowed’ Her Until She Screamed for Help
Haggis did not immediately discuss the allegations brought against him by former events publicist Haleigh Breest, who first filed the...
Asked by his own lawyer how he felt taking the stand, Haggis said: “I’m incredibly nervous, of course, and I’m very happy. Because for five years I’ve been unable to clear my name.”
Ilann Maazel, who is representing plaintiff Haleigh Breest, objected – but Judge Sabrina Kraus overruled her and the statement was allowed to stand, according to Deadline.
Also Read:
Paul Haggis Accuser Says Director Tricked Her Into a ‘Date,’ Relentlessly ‘Shadowed’ Her Until She Screamed for Help
Haggis did not immediately discuss the allegations brought against him by former events publicist Haleigh Breest, who first filed the...
- 11/2/2022
- by Josh Dickey
- The Wrap
Paul Haggis will testify Wednesday in the New York sexual assault civil case brought against him by Haleigh Breest, a lawyer for Haggis said Tuesday. The lawyer, Seth Zuckerman, said that Haggis’ ex-wife, Deborah Rennard, is scheduled to go first, followed by Haggis.
Ten days of testimony have elapsed, with the Oscar-winning filmmaker and former Church of Scientology member watching the trial quietly from his seat at the defense table while his daughters are seated in the gallery directly behind him.
Breest, who is suing Haggis for unspecified damages, testified that he forced her into unprotected oral sex and intercourse in his apartment in Manhattan in 2013. Four other women called to testify by Breest said that Haggis assaulted or tried to assault them sexually in separate incidents between 1996 and 2015.
Haggis says the sex with Breest was consensual and, in court filings and through his lawyers, has said that he has...
Ten days of testimony have elapsed, with the Oscar-winning filmmaker and former Church of Scientology member watching the trial quietly from his seat at the defense table while his daughters are seated in the gallery directly behind him.
Breest, who is suing Haggis for unspecified damages, testified that he forced her into unprotected oral sex and intercourse in his apartment in Manhattan in 2013. Four other women called to testify by Breest said that Haggis assaulted or tried to assault them sexually in separate incidents between 1996 and 2015.
Haggis says the sex with Breest was consensual and, in court filings and through his lawyers, has said that he has...
- 11/2/2022
- by Sean Piccoli
- Deadline Film + TV
The defense in the Paul Haggis rape trial had a busy Monday, calling several witnesses including the filmmaker’s adult daughter, a personal friend who said she once rejected Haggis’ advance without incident, a memory expert who previously testified in Harvey Weinstein’s New York trail and a former Scientologist who testified that church officials once ordered her to dig up dirt on the Oscar-winning “Crash” director.
The jury heard nearly two weeks of plaintiffs’ testimony in the civil trial being brought by Haleigh Breest, a former freelance events publicist who said Haggis pressured her to go to his Manhattan apartment after a 2013 movie premiere and raped her. Though the judge explained to the jury that both parties agree that Breest is not a Scientologist, and she testified that she was not being supported by the church in any way, Haggis’ team has continued to present its Scientology defense.
On Friday,...
The jury heard nearly two weeks of plaintiffs’ testimony in the civil trial being brought by Haleigh Breest, a former freelance events publicist who said Haggis pressured her to go to his Manhattan apartment after a 2013 movie premiere and raped her. Though the judge explained to the jury that both parties agree that Breest is not a Scientologist, and she testified that she was not being supported by the church in any way, Haggis’ team has continued to present its Scientology defense.
On Friday,...
- 11/1/2022
- by Josh Dickey
- The Wrap
Updated with afternoon session: The oldest daughter of filmmaker Paul Haggis said Monday there is “circumstantial” evidence of a Church of Scientology plot against her father, who is facing a rape accusation in New York civil court, after he walked away from the religious organization and became a vocal Scientology critic.
But Alissa Haggis, who quit the church as a teenager and came out as gay years before her father left Scientology, testified on cross-examination that she doesn’t know of any such plot. “There’s no way I could know that directly,” she said, repeating a refrain of the Haggis defense.
A former high-ranking Scientology official, Mike Rinder, testified on Friday that “nobody would have any knowledge of that” because Scientology uses subterfuge so effectively to attack and undermine its critics.
Another ex-Scientologist and Haggis friend, Shawna Lee Brakefield, said she feared the lawsuit was the church retaliating against him.
But Alissa Haggis, who quit the church as a teenager and came out as gay years before her father left Scientology, testified on cross-examination that she doesn’t know of any such plot. “There’s no way I could know that directly,” she said, repeating a refrain of the Haggis defense.
A former high-ranking Scientology official, Mike Rinder, testified on Friday that “nobody would have any knowledge of that” because Scientology uses subterfuge so effectively to attack and undermine its critics.
Another ex-Scientologist and Haggis friend, Shawna Lee Brakefield, said she feared the lawsuit was the church retaliating against him.
- 11/1/2022
- by Sean Piccoli
- Deadline Film + TV
Scientology returned to the spotlight on Monday in the Paul Haggis civil rape trial. Its reemergence in the conversation comes as a surprise since both sides seemingly agreed last week there’s “no evidence” to suggest the person suing the Oscar-winning director for rape is tied to the controversial church.
Defense attorneys for Haggis called on former Scientologist Shawna Brakefield, who testified via video to jurors on Monday in a lower Manhattan courtroom. “Anybody who speaks publicly against the church is just a target for being destroyed,” she said. “I’ve seen it happen.”
Haleigh Breest — a former film publicist who is suing Haggis for claims the the filmmaker forced her to perform oral sex on him and then raped her in his Soho apartment in 2013 after a movie premiere — maintains she has no connection to the Church of Scientology. But the defense team for Haggis has repeatedly argued that...
Defense attorneys for Haggis called on former Scientologist Shawna Brakefield, who testified via video to jurors on Monday in a lower Manhattan courtroom. “Anybody who speaks publicly against the church is just a target for being destroyed,” she said. “I’ve seen it happen.”
Haleigh Breest — a former film publicist who is suing Haggis for claims the the filmmaker forced her to perform oral sex on him and then raped her in his Soho apartment in 2013 after a movie premiere — maintains she has no connection to the Church of Scientology. But the defense team for Haggis has repeatedly argued that...
- 10/31/2022
- by Antonio Ferme and Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Paul Haggis, sexual aggressor, or Paul Haggis, “mensch”? Those are the dueling versions of the Oscar-winning “Crash” filmmaker’s behavior that are being presented in a New York court this month.
On Monday, a female friend of Paul Haggis said he made advances to her, but responded appropriately when she rejected his attempts to become romantic.
Sarah McNally, the owner of the independent bookstore chain McNally Jackson Books, testified during Haggis’s civil rape trial that she “developed a friendship” with the filmmaker after meeting him at a party in 2016 and has since been alone with him dozens of times. She said the director tried to kiss her when she first hung out with him alone, but she stated that she turned her head away because she “just wasn’t attracted to him.”
“Paul is a calm and resilient person. He shrugged and went, ‘Ok,’” McNally recalled. “It was the most easy-going and calm response.
On Monday, a female friend of Paul Haggis said he made advances to her, but responded appropriately when she rejected his attempts to become romantic.
Sarah McNally, the owner of the independent bookstore chain McNally Jackson Books, testified during Haggis’s civil rape trial that she “developed a friendship” with the filmmaker after meeting him at a party in 2016 and has since been alone with him dozens of times. She said the director tried to kiss her when she first hung out with him alone, but she stated that she turned her head away because she “just wasn’t attracted to him.”
“Paul is a calm and resilient person. He shrugged and went, ‘Ok,’” McNally recalled. “It was the most easy-going and calm response.
- 10/31/2022
- by Antonio Ferme and Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
A former high-ranking official in the Church of Scientology said Friday that the organization never forgets its enemies “until they are destroyed,” and he said that filmmaker Paul Haggis, who quit Scientology, remains one of its biggest targets.
Mike Rinder, an Australian who was Scientology’s top enforcer and who co-hosted the Emmy-winning docuseries Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, was was the first witness for the defense in the New York sexual civil assault trial of Haggis.
Related Story Paul Haggis Trial: Psychologist Who Testified In Kevin Spacey Case Says Accuser Suffers From Ptsd; Plaintiff Rests Case Related Story Paul Haggis Trial: Accuser's Friend Recalls "Dire" Tone Of Her Calls After Alleged Assault – Update Related Story Jane Doe Testimony Recounting "Violent" 2008 Encounter With Paul Haggis Played In Court; Accuser Wraps Testimony In Sexual Assault Civil Trial – Update
The Oscar-winning screenwriter of Crash and a major figure in a 2015 documentary exposé about Scientology,...
Mike Rinder, an Australian who was Scientology’s top enforcer and who co-hosted the Emmy-winning docuseries Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, was was the first witness for the defense in the New York sexual civil assault trial of Haggis.
Related Story Paul Haggis Trial: Psychologist Who Testified In Kevin Spacey Case Says Accuser Suffers From Ptsd; Plaintiff Rests Case Related Story Paul Haggis Trial: Accuser's Friend Recalls "Dire" Tone Of Her Calls After Alleged Assault – Update Related Story Jane Doe Testimony Recounting "Violent" 2008 Encounter With Paul Haggis Played In Court; Accuser Wraps Testimony In Sexual Assault Civil Trial – Update
The Oscar-winning screenwriter of Crash and a major figure in a 2015 documentary exposé about Scientology,...
- 10/29/2022
- by Sean Piccoli
- Deadline Film + TV
The two sides in the Paul Haggis civil rape trial haven’t agreed on much over the past week and a half, but they did reach an important consensus on Friday.
Judge Sabrina Kraus said that the Oscar winner’s lawyers and the legal team of his accuser Haleigh Breest say that there is “no evidence” supporting the allegation that Breest is connected to the Church of Scientology. Haggis, the writer of “Million Dollar Baby” and the filmmaker behind “Crash,” was a member of the church for 35 years, before leaving the organization in 2009 over its support of a California ballot initiative banning same-sex marriage. He has since spoken out publicly against its practices, most notably in an 2011 profile in the New Yorker.
Breest, a former freelance publicist for the Cinema Society, alleges that Haggis forced her to perform oral sex on him and then raped her in his Soho apartment in 2013 after a movie premiere.
Judge Sabrina Kraus said that the Oscar winner’s lawyers and the legal team of his accuser Haleigh Breest say that there is “no evidence” supporting the allegation that Breest is connected to the Church of Scientology. Haggis, the writer of “Million Dollar Baby” and the filmmaker behind “Crash,” was a member of the church for 35 years, before leaving the organization in 2009 over its support of a California ballot initiative banning same-sex marriage. He has since spoken out publicly against its practices, most notably in an 2011 profile in the New Yorker.
Breest, a former freelance publicist for the Cinema Society, alleges that Haggis forced her to perform oral sex on him and then raped her in his Soho apartment in 2013 after a movie premiere.
- 10/28/2022
- by Antonio Ferme and Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
A psychologist who testified for Anthony Rapp in his failed case against fellow actor Kevin Spacey took the stand Friday, again for the plaintiff, in the New York sexual assault civil trial of filmmaker Paul Haggis.
As she did in the Rapp case earlier this month, Lisa Rocchio, a clinical and forensic psychologist based in Rhode Island, said that the accuser — in this case Haleigh Breest — suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder caused by an alleged rape that is the basis of a claim for damages being weighed by the jury.
And again, Rocchio was challenged by the defense for her conclusions, sometimes in language nearly identical to the questions she faced from a lawyer for Spacey.
“Have you ever evaluated someone who claimed sexual abuse and found that they were lying?” a lawyer for Haggis, Seth Zuckerman, asked Rocchio, referring to the 1,000-plus people she has treated in her career.
As she did in the Rapp case earlier this month, Lisa Rocchio, a clinical and forensic psychologist based in Rhode Island, said that the accuser — in this case Haleigh Breest — suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder caused by an alleged rape that is the basis of a claim for damages being weighed by the jury.
And again, Rocchio was challenged by the defense for her conclusions, sometimes in language nearly identical to the questions she faced from a lawyer for Spacey.
“Have you ever evaluated someone who claimed sexual abuse and found that they were lying?” a lawyer for Haggis, Seth Zuckerman, asked Rocchio, referring to the 1,000-plus people she has treated in her career.
- 10/28/2022
- by Sean Piccoli
- Deadline Film + TV
Michael Rinder, who like Paul Haggis vociferously turned on Scientology after leaving the church, testified Friday that he used to head Scientology’s Office of Special Affairs, the division that would relentlessly pursue the destruction of its “enemies” – but made no material connection to the civil rape case the “Crash” director is facing in New York.
Rinder said his office would use spies and private investigators to silence, “at all costs,” anyone referred to as a “suppressive person,” operating with a budget as much as 2 million per week. He when the church declares someone “fair game,” operatives were clear to find out “what their weaknesses are and you threaten them with it.”
“You blackmail the person into silence,” Rinder said. “Scientology will never admit to it.”
The church has, in fact, denied any involvement in the Haggis affair.
What Rinder did not say, however, was also notable: He did not...
Rinder said his office would use spies and private investigators to silence, “at all costs,” anyone referred to as a “suppressive person,” operating with a budget as much as 2 million per week. He when the church declares someone “fair game,” operatives were clear to find out “what their weaknesses are and you threaten them with it.”
“You blackmail the person into silence,” Rinder said. “Scientology will never admit to it.”
The church has, in fact, denied any involvement in the Haggis affair.
What Rinder did not say, however, was also notable: He did not...
- 10/28/2022
- by Josh Dickey
- The Wrap
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