A New York jury today found filmmaker Paul Haggis liable on all three counts of rape and sexual abuse in his treatment of Haleigh Breest, who left a Manhattan party with him in 2013, and when the judge sued has. crashing down 2017 Oscar winner who claimed he repeatedly forced her to have sex in his apartment that night.
RELATED: Paul Haggis sexual assault civil suit: Full reporting as of Deadline
The unanimous jury of four men and two women — whose composition changed on the first day of deliberations — deliberated for nearly six hours in the civil trial before awarding Breest $7.5 million in damages. It also recommended punitive damages, the amount of which will be determined on Monday, November 14.
Haggis sat between his lawyers and looked straight ahead as the verdicts were read. He and his lawyers had no comment as they left the courtroom. As she left, Breest said she was “very grateful,” and her attorney, Zoe Salzman, told reporters and viewers, “We’re very pleased with the jury’s outcome.”
It was the latest ruling in a series of cases to emerge from a #MeToo movement that has declared powerful men in the entertainment industry as sexual abusers. The jury was asked to decide whether Haggis was one of them. Breest and her lawyers tried to prove that Haggis forced her to submit to intercourse and have oral sex with him, and inserted his fingers into her when she said “no”.
She spent a total of four days on the stand describing the encounter and defending her interpretation against skeptical cross-examination by Haggis lawyer Priya Chaudhry. In Wednesday’s closing arguments, Chaudhry asked the judges to use their “excellent New York common sense” to see through Breest’s story.
The jury ruled on three specific charges: first-degree rape and two third-degree counts of sexual assault and a criminal sex act under New York law. About an hour into their deliberations, the jury asked the judge for various testimonies and evidence, including texts between Breest and the friend who first contacted them, and statements from Breest and Haggis about vaginal sex.
Breest and Haggis both testified that they returned to his apartment after a movie screening party on Jan. 31, 2013, where Haggis, then 59, was a celebrity guest and Breest, then 26, worked as a freelance publicist. They both agreed that Haggis turned an offer to drive Breest home in his rental car into an invitation to come to his house and that she initially declined the invitation by suggesting that she go to his go home to drive to the bar. going home with him, but said she wouldn’t stay, both testified.
Your statement is different. Breest said she felt “pressured” to spend time after work with Haggis, a frequent guest at events hosted by her boss, who fired her after she filed the lawsuit. Haggis testified that he and Breest flirted all night, were genuinely interested in each other, and that Breest jokingly let him know that she was open to sex with him, although she had no intention of spending the night.
Haggis testified that the sex was consensual and to the best of my knowledge was limited to oral sex initiated by Breest. He said Breest never portrayed him as anything else until her lawsuit nearly five years later at the height of the #MeToo movement, after Haggis called film producer Harvey Weinstein a “predator” when women in the film industry filed reports about Weinstein who was sexually reported, dealt with. her.
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He called the case a vendetta by the Church of Scientology, a secretive and wealthy religious movement founded by a science fiction writer. Haggis left the Church acrimoniously in 2009 for his methods and has spoken at length about his journey through and out of Scientology for a Resident of New York profile and an HBO documentary.
His attorneys presented no witnesses or documents in court directly linking any of his accusers to the church, but in Wednesday’s closing argument, Haggis attorney Chaudhry said the jury had “strong circumstantial evidence” of Scientology’s role in the church indictment. completely destroyed him.”
In all, the jury heard from about two dozen witnesses, including Haggis, Breest and four Jane Does – Deadline will not name her – who said Haggis sexually assaulted them or attempted to do so in various incidents between 1996 and 2015 after he tricks have consumed. them alone. They are not a party to Haggis’ lawsuit, but Breest’s lawyer, Ilann Maazel, said in closing arguments that they “give a glimpse into his real intentions” to bring Breest home. Maazel called Haggis a “psychopath” who planned and orchestrated his attack on Breest just as he did with the other four women.
There were dueling experts on memories, trauma and attitudes towards rape victims – both with ties to court cases alleging sexual abuse against Weinstein and actor Kevin Spacey. Two spine surgeons differed on whether Haggis was even capable of having violent sex with someone who physically resisted him, as he was still recovering from surgery to repair two ruptured discs in his back.
In a harsh hour-long cross-examination in which Breest broke down in tears, Chaudhry tried to show the jury that the rape, as she claimed, was equal parts “fantasy,” as Chaudhry put it in closing arguments, and “not physically possible.” She said Breest had several opportunities to leave Haggi’s apartment and instead stayed the night.
Chaudhry portrayed Breest as a troubled and emotionally immature woman who thought “an awkward one-night stand” with a famous, accomplished Hollywood figure was something more and felt humiliated when he showed no further interest.
Chaudhry said Breest’s messages to friends afterward and emails to Haggis show her reaction, which went from excitement about spending the night with him to confusion at his lack of interest, then regret and humiliation at leaving her, leading to what was described as the rape that happened.
One line from Breest reads, “As they say in the first fraternity, don’t get mad, get it all,” referring to the 1996 revenge comedy The first sorority.
“She is not upset about what happened that night at Paul Haggis’ apartment,” Chaudhry said. “She’s mad that he never invited her.”
The jury also heard from a number of defense witnesses with ties to the Church of Scientology, including the former king of queens Star Leah Remini, who also hosted the Emmy Award-winning TV documentary series, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath.
Remini and other former Scientologists, including Haggis’ daughter Alissa, told jurors that the church never forgives its enemies and uses lawsuits and undetectable covert operations to undermine them. A former Scientologist, a documentary producer, said shortly after Haggis left the church, a senior Scientologist called her to help dig up dirt on him, but she refused.
“It’s the perfect defense,” Maazel quipped in his closing remarks. “There is no evidence of this, so it must be true.”
An ex-wife of Haggis, singer and actress Deborah Rennard, testified that Haggis was unfaithful and had more than 20 affairs during their marriage, but was never violent. Three other women said they remained friends with Haggis, despite rejecting his suit or romantic interest.
Haggis himself said on the stand, “I’m a very flawed person,” but denied raping anyone or trying to be sexually intrusive.
Writer: Sean Piccoli, Eric Pedersen
Source: Deadline
