On Wednesday, the New York civil trial against Oscar-winning Canadian director Paul Haggis began. He is accused of raping a publicist in 2013.
Haggis, who wrote and directed “Crash,” and penned the screenplay for “Million Dollar Baby,” arrived in court in the morning, reports AFP.
Haleigh Breest, a film publicist, accused the 69-year-old in December 2017 of brutalizing and raping her in January 2013, when she was 26 years old.
Three more women later accused Haggis of sexual assault as the #MeToo movement gained ground.
Breest claimed in her lawsuit that the director forced her to have a drink at his house on the evening of January 31, 2013, following a movie screening in Manhattan even though she preferred to go to a bar.
Once in his apartment, Haggis made multiple advances then raped her, she says.
