Oscar-winning Hollywood director Paul Haggis has reportedly been arrested in Italy on expenses of sexual assault and aggravated private harm, with lurid allegations that he compelled a girl into sexual activity over a interval of two days within the city of Ostuni, the place he was scheduled to conduct a sequence of masterclasses.
Haggis — who directed the 2004 greatest image Oscar-winner Crash and wrote the screenplay for Million Greenback Child — is dealing with accusations introduced by a “young foreign woman” who alleges she was compelled to have “non-consensual” sexual relations with the filmmaker over two days, in keeping with the Related Press, which cited native Italian media experiences.
Cathy Schulman and Paul Haggis, winners Finest Image for Crash, with presenter Jack Nicholson (Mirek Towski/FilmMagic)
Prosecutors allege in an announcement that after a few days “of non-consensual relations, the woman was accompanied by the man” to Brindisi airport early Sunday morning and “was left there at dawn despite [her] precarious physical and psychological conditions.”
They claimed the girl was “forced to seek medical care” following the sexual relations.
It stays unclear if Haggis is being held by Italian authorities or if he has been freed on bail.
“Under Italian Law, I cannot discuss the evidence,” Haggis’ private lawyer Priya Chaudhry mentioned in an announcement to Selection. “That said, I am confident that all allegations will be dismissed against Mr. Haggis. He is totally innocent and willing to fully cooperate with the authorities so the truth comes out quickly.”
Paul Haggis confronted rape and sexual misconduct allegations throughout the peak of the #MeToo motion, with publicist Haleigh Breest alleging Haggis violently raped her after a premiere in 2013. The filmmaker has denied these accusations.
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