Paul Haggis’ accuser opens up about alleged sexual assault
Academy Award-winning director Paul Haggis has been accused of sexual assault and rape by Haleigh Breest, who recently provided more details during the sexual assault civil trial in Manhattan. Although Haggis has denied all claims, Breest’s testimony brought forth horrifying information about the alleged incident.
Previously, Haggis’ legal team released this statement: “In other words, Defendant clearly intended to inflict the utmost emotional distress upon the Plaintiff in order to make her economic plan work. Defendant’s conduct is outrageous and indecent. Plaintiff will not allow either the false narrative or the extortion to succeed.”
However, according to Breest, Haggis cornered her in his NYC apartment in 2013 after the premiere of the film Side Effects. Breest claimed that Haggis attempted to kiss her and asked her, “are you scared of me?”, while trying to back her up against a refrigerator.
Breest added that the alleged assault left her “really struggling to comprehend what had happened… I couldn’t understand how somebody who seemed like a nice guy would do that.” The case was filed when the #MeToo movement was gaining momentum in 2017.
As per Breest’s testimony, Haggis also told her, “you’ve been flirting with me for months,” even though she responded with, “I don’t even know you.” Breest claimed that Haggis made multiple sexual advances before allegedly assaulting and raping her. “I was like a trapped animal,” Breest testified. “There was nothing for me to do.”
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