#MeToo is far from over, as the New Year kicks off with another prominent Hollywood figure facing allegations of sexual misconduct and rape.
Last month, a civil lawsuit was filed against Paul Haggis on behalf of a publicist Haleigh Breest who claims she was raped by the Oscar winning writer and director of “Crash.” At the time, the filmmaker’s attorney denied the charges, saying that Breest had demanded $9 million to remain silent, which they say was tantamount to extortion. However, the lawsuit prompted three more women to come forward with their stories of assault and rape at the hands of Haggis.
Associated Press reports that the incidents took place between 1996 and 2015, and the pattern is familiar in all their stories: Haggis preyed on a young women early in the careers, and when they resisted his advances, his actions became increasingly violent and aggressive.
One woman, a 28-year-old publicist at the time, says that he was called into Haggis’ office to review photos, while they had been working on a television show together in 1996. First, Haggis attempted to kiss her. “I just pulled away. He was just glaring at me and came at me again. I was really resisting. He said to me, ’Do you really want to continue working?’” she said. “And then he really forced himself on me. I was just numb. I didn’t know what to do.”
Haggis forced the woman to perform oral sex on him, before he raped her. The other two women who have shared similar stories with the news service, with an aggressive Haggis refusing to stop his advances when he was turned down.
Haggis has long been involved in activism and various charitable organization, and last fall, he even commented on the then breaking allegations against Harvey Weinstein.
“…a lot of people are compromised by Harvey’s alleged actions,” he told The Guardian in October. “Although everyone thinks it is vile behaviour, you have got to focus on those who may have colluded and protected him. For me, they are as guilty as he is and in some cases more so, if I can say that. I mean, he was a predator and a predator is a predator. But what about those who would rather look the other way?”
The director’s attorney, Christine Lepera, has denied these latest claims against Haggis, stating simply, “He didn’t rape anybody.”