{"id":102184,"date":"2022-10-19T23:26:09","date_gmt":"2022-10-19T23:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/paul-haggis-sexual-assault-trial-begins-in-manhattan-new-york-amid-raft-of-hollywood-metoo-cases\/"},"modified":"2022-10-19T23:26:09","modified_gmt":"2022-10-19T23:26:09","slug":"paul-haggis-sexual-assault-trial-begins-in-manhattan-new-york-amid-raft-of-hollywood-metoo-cases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/paul-haggis-sexual-assault-trial-begins-in-manhattan-new-york-amid-raft-of-hollywood-metoo-cases\/","title":{"rendered":"Paul Haggis Sexual Assault Trial Begins in Manhattan, New York Amid Raft of Hollywood #MeToo Cases"},"content":{"rendered":"
Embattled Oscar-winning director Paul Haggis was painted by prosecutors as a serial predator who used his power to \u201cmanipulate\u201d vulnerable young women.<\/p>\n
Haggis’ sexual assault trial got underway at a New York City courthouse this morning. The filmmaker appeared in court alongside his defense attorneys in a black suit and gray tie as opening statements began shortly after 10 am<\/p>\n
Attorneys for Haleigh Breest, the former publicist suing Haggis for allegedly raping her in 2013, opened the trial by framing the Canadian film mogul as a \u201cpowerful\u201d and manipulative\u201d serial predator who \u201cdoesn’t stop when women say no.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Haggis used his storytelling skills and his fame to prey on, to manipulate, and to attack vulnerable young women in the film industry, \u201dBreest’s attorney Zoe Salzman told the court. \u201cOne of those women was Haleigh Breest.\u201d<\/p>\n
Haggis, 69, is accused of sexually assaulting Breest at his SoHo loft <\/strong>following a movie premiere in New York in 2013. She was 26 at the time. Breest sued Haggis in 2017 <\/strong>after the Million Dollar Baby<\/em> writer penned an op-ed in The Guardian<\/em> disavowing convicted rapper Harvey Weinstein. Four other women have also come forward alleging Haggis raped them after Breest filed her suit. <\/p>\n Haggis has long maintained the incident <\/strong>involving Breest <\/strong>was consensual. His legal team is arguing that the court case is part of the Church of Scientology’s efforts to smear Haggis ‘name after he very publicly defected from the church in 2009 in a scathing letter to Scientology spokesman Tommy Davis.<\/p>\n