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A New York jury has found filmmaker Paul Haggis liable in a sexual assault case brought by a publicist who claimed he raped her in his Manhattan apartment in 2013, according to the Associated Press.
The jury ordered Haggis, 69, to pay Haleigh Breest, 36, at least $7.5 million in damages, the AP reported, noting that the jury also ruled that he was later found guilty of paying would be responsible for additional punitive damages.
Ilann Maazel, an attorney representing Breest, said in a statement: “We are grateful and grateful for the jury’s verdict. Justice was done today. This is a huge victory for Haleigh and for the entire #MeToo movement.”
Haggis’ attorney, Priya Chaudhry, said they were “disappointed and shocked by this ruling”. She said they “shouldn’t have said so many critical things to the jury” and that Haggis could not have had a fair trial.
Haggis is known for writing the films Million Dollar Baby and Crash, the latter of which earned him two Oscars for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay in 2006. He also directed “Crash” and shares screenwriting for the film with Bobby Moresco.
Breest filed the lawsuit against Haggis in December 2017 under the New York City Gender-Based Violence Victim Protection Act. According to the complaint, in January 2013, Breest was working at a New York film premiere and had Haggis drive him home. The document alleges he pressured her to have a drink with him at his SoHo apartment, rather than at a public bar as she said she suggested.
“Ms. Breest recognized that Mr. Haggis was a powerful member of the Hollywood elite who could influence her career, and in the face of his persistence, she finally relented and went with Mr. Haggis to his Mercer Street residence Complaint filed in New York County Supreme Court in July 2018.
The complaint alleges that Breest was “shocked, confused and extremely frightened” when Haggis forcefully kissed and forced her to perform oral sex at his home. According to Breest, he raped her afterwards.
Both Haggis and Breest testified about the encounter. Haggis said she seemed “conflicted” at first, but then took the initiative and “never gave me any indication that it was anything but consensual,” the AP reported. He said he had “no memory” of having sex.
Breest said she denied Haggis’ claim from that night that she had been flirting with him at industry events “for months” and repeatedly asked him to stop while he was making unwanted advances at his home, according to the AP. She added that at one point he asked her if she was afraid of him.
The jury was shown text messages Breest sent to a friend the day after the encounter. She wrote, “And I keep saying no … But I guess it’s just an invitation or a challenge,” according to Deadline, who reported that Breest’s boyfriend said they “would call this rape.”
Deadline reported that Breest’s attorneys have also subpoenaed four other women who have accused Haggis of sexual misconduct, one of whom alleged he raped her in the 1990s and the other three said he made unwanted sexual advances toward them did.
Haggis admitted to the jury that he had “a series of affairs” during his marriage to actress Deborah Rennard, who testified in her ex-husband’s defense, saying he “had great relationships with women. I’ve never heard anything negative,” Variety reported. They married in 1997 and divorced in 2016, years after their separation.
Actress Leah Remini also testified as a character witness for Haggis, a former Scientologist. Variety stated that she appeared via video chat and described Haggis as “the victim here” and portrayed the lawsuit as an attack on the filmmaker for leaving the church. Prior to Remini’s testimony, both sides agreed that Scientology was irrelevant to the case, according to Variety.