Movies

Rape case against Paul Haggis in Italy is dismissed. His U.S. lawyer suggests it was a setup

BBG News

In Italy on Wednesday, a rape charge against Academy Award-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis was dropped. The following day, his U.S. lawyer proposed that the accusations in Italy were strategically timed to undermine his standing in a New York civil lawsuit where he lost $10 million.

In Brindisi, Italy, a judge recently decided that no forced sexual acts occurred, according to Haggis’ legal team, who shared this information with Reuters on Wednesday. The woman had claimed that the filmmaker-screenwriter had raped her multiple times over a two-day period in 2022, during which they were both attending Allora Fest, an industry gathering focused on entertainment.

Entertainment & Arts

As a passionate cinephile, I’ve learned that Paul Haggis has been ordered by a civil jury to compensate Haleigh Breest a staggering sum of $7.5 million. This comes after the jury found him accountable for the rape incident that occurred in 2013. The amount of punitive damages will be decided on Monday.

In a statement to the press, lawyers Michele Laforgia and Daniele Romeo expressed that for Mr. Haggis, it marks the end of an unjust ordeal that has tragically tarnished the reputation of a filmmaking genius and an Oscar-winning director from 2006.

Following the accusations against him, Haggis was arrested by the police in June and kept under house arrest at his hotel until a court order granted his release on July 4th, 2022. Throughout this time, he consistently claimed his innocence regarding the allegations.

In an interview with La Repubblica in July 2022, Haggis expressed that being falsely accused of sexual violence was a terrible ordeal he wouldn’t wish on any innocent individual. He was allegedly charged with forcing a 30-year-old Englishwoman to engage in sex over two days at a bed-and-breakfast in Puglia, leaving her bewildered before she was abandoned at a nearby airport.

In the interview on July 12, 2022, Haggis admitted his first error was inviting someone he barely knew to visit him. He described it as a foolish decision. His second mistake occurred the following morning after an unpleasant incident; he ended the situation by taking this person to the airport early, hours before her flight. Although he regrets these lapses in judgment, he struggles to understand how they led to false and harmful allegations against him.

Hollywood Inc.

For Subscribers

How Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs allegedly used his empire and employees to ‘get his way’ with women

For decades, a powerful figure in the music industry was supported in his alleged misconduct towards women, as reported by The Times after examining legal documents and speaking with current and past colleagues. This network, intricate and extensive, is said to have facilitated his actions.

The writer of “Million Dollar Baby” revealed during an interview that he lost not one but two writing assignments due to his arrest. Meanwhile, his lawyer from the October 2022 New York civil case recently stated that the Italian case might have been orchestrated as a means to undermine him prior to the commencement of that trial.

Attorney Priya Chaudhry stated to The Times that it had been clear all along that Paul was entirely innocent in the Italian case, and that this woman’s claims were false. The timing and design of her lies, which were bound to be uncovered, indicate that she intentionally fabricated her accusations against Paul just before his trial on another case to cause maximum harm, manipulate media and public perception.

It’s important for everyone to scrutinize the reliability of a judgment issued under the influence of a bogus crime accusation, which was deliberately planned to capture worldwide attention, stir public emotions, and corrupt the path of justice.

In a lawsuit filed in New York, Haggis was held responsible and mandated to pay $10 million to Haleigh Breest, a former red-carpet publicist who worked events during the early 2010s. Breest accepted a ride home from Haggis following a movie premiere in January 2013, but instead of going to a bar as she suggested, she ended up at his apartment for a drink. Breest claimed that Haggis forced her to perform oral sex and then raped her. Haggis contends that the encounter was consensual, but no criminal charges were brought against him.

California

Actor Danny Masterson received his sentence on Thursday, following his conviction for sexually assaulting two ex-members of Scientology in the early 2000s.

Chaudhry stated to The Times in 2022 that a just trial for Haggis became “unattainable” when the judge acknowledged the testimonies of four extra women, three of whom did not attend the court proceedings, who had not reported their allegations to the police.

In simpler terms, Haggis exclaimed as he exited the courtroom following the judgment, “I can’t endure such deceit. I’ll perish proving my innocence.” (Associated Press reported this quote earlier.)

A lawsuit initiated by Haggis prior to Breest making her accusation claimed that Breest and her lawyer tried to blackmail $9 million as a silence payment over an alleged false rape charge, according to Haggis’ statement. However, a judge from the appeals court dismissed Haggis’ case in July 2018, stating it lacked any evidence that Breest had threatened to expose the claim if she wasn’t compensated. In March 2019, Haggis chose not to challenge this decision any further.

Read More

2025-05-08 23:31

Previous post Katie Price Reveals Heartbreaking Truth About Hating Loose Women Amid Split Rumors
Next post Wicked Star SHAMES Met Gala! You Won’t BELIEVE What She Said!