Paul Haggis.Photo: Sebastian Reuter/Getty
Paul Haggishas been arrested in Italy on charges ofsexual assault, multiple news outlets report.
Prosecutors said in their written statement that the woman, 30, was “forced to seek medical care” after the alleged incident, which they say occurred over the course of two days.
The two-timeAcademy Awardwinner is reportedly being detained in a hotel room in the city of Ostuni, according to Italian media, per the AP, whereVarietyreports Haggis has been visiting for the local Allora Fest.
According to several outlets, includingThe New York TimesandVariety, Haggis is currently under arrest. TheTimesreports his charges as “aggravated sexual violence and aggravated personal injuries,” citing local law enforcement.
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Paul Haggis.Mark Sagliocco/FilmMagic
“He is totally innocent, and willing to fully cooperate with the authorities so the truth comes out quickly,” Chaudhry added in the statement.
The AP reports that a hearing will be scheduled but a date has not been decided yet, according to Prosecutor Antonio Negro, of the city of Brindisi.
Representatives for Haggis, including Chaudhry, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The following month,three other woman came forwardto Breest’s attorneys. In a series of interviews with theAP, they provided details of their sexual-misconduct allegations, which allegedly stemmed from interactions they had with Haggis from 1996 through 2015, when they were still beginning their careers. One of Haggis' accusers claimed thatthe director and screenwriter raped her in 1996when she was 28 years old and working as a publicist. All of the women chose to remain anonymous.
In August 2018, Haggis said in part in a filed response that Breet’s claims were “shocking and scandalous claims of fiction” which he “vehemently denies.” Additionally, the director denied Breest “gave [him] oral sex” forcibly or without her consent, calling the moment consensual.
He alsodenied the claims in a statementprovided to PEOPLE through his attorney Christine Lepoera.
“Mr. Haggis denies these anonymous claims in whole. In a society where one of a person’s fundamental rights is the ability to confront an accuser, that right has now been eviscerated when it comes to anyone being charged in the press with any sort of sexual misconduct,” Lepoera said at the time. “Notably, no one has reached out to anyone on Mr. Haggis' team other than the press to report this.
“He views the fact that these reports appear to be spearheaded from the law-firm representing Ms. Breest, as a further tactic to try to harm him and continue their effort to obtain money,” she continued. “Mr. Haggisalso questions whether Scientologyhas any role here, which he notes has been attacking him for years with false accusations.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.
source: people.com
