Paul Haggis Gets Trial Date in Rape Lawsuit in New York
variety.comGene Maddaus Senior Media WriterDirector Paul Haggis, now under house arrest on sexual assault charges in Italy, has gotten a trial date for his rape lawsuit in New York.The trial is set to begin on Oct.
11, before Judge Sabrina Kraus in Manhattan. A film publicist, Haleigh Breest, sued Haggis in December 2017, alleging that he raped her at his apartment in January 2013 after a premiere.
Haggis has claimed that the encounter was consensual and that the lawsuit is nothing more than an extortion attempt.Haggis is best known for writing and directing the Oscar-winning “Crash,” and wrote the screenplay for “Million Dollar Baby.” He is also a prominent former member of the Church of Scientology, appearing in both “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief” and “Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath.” Haggis was arrested in Italy on June 19, after a woman told police that he had twice forced her to have non-consensual sex.
His attorneys have denied those allegations as well. After a hearing last week, a judge ordered that he remain on house arrest pending further proceedings.
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