Paul Haggis

Haggis, who wrote and directed the Oscar-winning crime drama “Crash,” was accused of assaulting a woman in Ostuni over the course of two days.

And he has said that, in response, the church has mounted a campaign of harassment. In 2009, Mr. Haggis left the Church of Scientology over its support of Proposition 8, the ban on same-sex marriage passed by California voters and later overturned. She was then brought to a hospital where she was treated following a protocol used in Italy for victims of violence against women; she subsequently reported the violence to the police. The film won best picture at the Academy Awards as well as best original screenplay for Mr. Haggis and Bobby Moresco. We use cookies and similar methods to recognize visitors and remember their preferences. Mr. Haggis has contended that the encounter with Ms. Breest was consensual. “He is totally innocent, and willing to fully cooperate with the authorities so the truth comes out quickly.” We also use them to measure ad campaign effectiveness, target ads and analyze site traffic. In a resignation letter that was circulated in Hollywood, Mr. Haggis wrote that the church’s position was “a stain on the integrity of our organization and a stain on us personally.” In the documentary “Going Clear” and elsewhere, Mr. Haggis has become among the more prominent critics of the church. Mr. Haggis, who won a screenwriting Oscar in 2006 for the crime drama “Crash,” and who wrote acclaimed movies such as “Million Dollar Baby,” was in the southern city to attend the Allora film festival, where he was set to participate in panels and discussions with the audience, starting on June 21, according to the festival’s program. The airport’s staff and the border police noticed her in the airport in a “confusional state,” assisted her and took her to the local police office, the statement continued. The Oscar-winning director and writer Paul Haggis was arrested on charges of aggravated sexual violence and aggravated personal injuries in the Southern Italian city of Ostuni on Sunday, according to the local police.

The Oscar-winning filmmaker has been accused of sexual assault.

Haggis has denied those allegations, with his attorney suggesting in 2018 that they might have been motivated by Haggis’ criticisms of Scientology (he had been a member for several decades before leaving the organization in 2009). Variety notes that the trial related to that suit still hasn’t happened due to COVID-related delays. Under Italian Law, I cannot discuss the evidence. This new allegation comes after four women accused Haggis of sexual misconduct in 2018.

Paul Haggis, the Oscar-winning writer-director of "Crash," has been arrested in Italy on sexual assault charges.

The trial is still pending, due to COVID delays. Police agents then took the woman to the A. Perrino hospital in Brindisi, where Italy’s so-called “pink protocol” for rape victims was put into effect. “The themes chosen for the festival are, among others, those of equality, gender equality, and solidarity.

Haggis, 69, won a 2006 screenwriting Oscar for Crash. He was visiting Italy for a film festival that begins on Tuesday in Ostuni, located in the “heel” of the ...

Prosecutors said the woman was “forced to seek medical care” following the sexual relations. He also co-wrote the James Bond film Casino Royale. The news agency LaPresse and several other Italian media reported on the alleged incident.

Paul Haggis -- who directed 2004's 'Crash' and wrote the screenplay for 'Million Dollar Baby' -- is facing sexual assault charges in Italy, where a woman ...

Allora Fest honchos say, "The themes chosen for the festival are, among others, those of equality, gender equality, and solidarity. He remains in custody, and his events have been nixed from the AF lineup. He's in town for a new film festival happening this week, called Allora Fest. 2:35 PM PT -- Haggis' attorney, Priya Chaudhry, tells TMZ ... "Under Italian Law, I cannot discuss the evidence. Paul Haggis -- famous for writing/directing 2006's Best Picture, "Crash" -- has been arrested in Italy for sexual assault ... this according to multiple reports. Paul Haggis Oscar Winner Arrested in Italy ... Sexual Assault Charges

Film director Paul Haggis was detained on Sunday for investigation of allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman in southern Italy, Italian news media ...

Oscar-winning filmmaker Haggis was detained in Italy on Sunday on charges of sexual assault and aggravated personal injury.

Haggis was an active member of the Church of Scientology for 35 years. "This information is used against anyone who departs scientology and dares speak their mind. While the church has faced accusations of smearing former members, it denies such claims. In a statement provided to Newsweek at the time, the Church of Scientology denied Remini and Rinder's claim that the allegations against Haggis originated from the church. When someone is declared an 'enemy' by scientology, they are fair game." In 2009, Haggis left the church and was, at the time, the most famous former member to speak out against its policies.

The Crash filmmaker is arrested in Italy and denies the allegations according to local agencies.

"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." "Make enquiries as soon as possible, I am totally innocent," the Canadian filmmaker said, according to the agencies, who quoted Laforgia. Brindisi prosecutors said he was also accused of "aggravated personal injury and crimes committed to the prejudice of a young foreign woman".

The victim was found huddled in a corner of an airport in southern Italy with injuries a medical examiner says are compatible with horrific sexual violence.

An attorney for Haggis, Priya Chaudhry, refused to comment on the case to The Hollywood Reporter, citing a non-existent “law” she says prohibits her from commenting on ongoing cases. After an initial medical examination at the airport health clinic, she was taken to the hospital for treatment in line with Italy’s “pink protocol” for rape victims, which includes psychological counseling. They then waited until the woman left Italy safely to arrest the director on Sunday in Ostuni. His family had by then joined him. She says she did not have an airline ticket, but that he gave her money to buy one when the airport opened, according to the prosecutor’s office. Police then investigated the new allegations, surveying camera footage outside Haggis’ hotel room and the airport that reportedly proves she was with him. ROME—Police in the southern Italian city of Brindisi say the British woman who has accused Oscar-winning director Paul Haggis of brutal rape has injuries consistent with her allegations.

Italian news reports are quoting prosecutors in southern Italy as saying film director Paul Haggis has been detained for investigation of the alleged sexual ...

Prosecutors Antonio Negro and Livia Orlando, who are conducting the investigation, said in the statement that the woman was “forced to seek medical care” following the sexual relations. The prosecutors said airport staff and police noticed her “obvious confused state” and " and after lending initial treatment, took her to Brindisi’s police headquarters, where officers accompanied her to a local hospital for examination. After a couple of days “of non-consensual relations, the woman was accompanied by the man” to Brindisi airport on Sunday and “was left there at dawn despite (her) precarious physical and psychological conditions.”

Oscar-winning moviemaker Paul Haggis has been arrested in Italy on suspicion of sexual assault and aggravated personal injury with his attorney insisting ...

The latest in a string of accusations against the director of Crash and co-writer of two James Bond films.

In 2017, Haggis was accused by a film publicist of raping her in 2013. Airport staff noticed a woman in a “confusional state” who was brought to the attention of authorities, who then took her to a local hospital. Haggis countersued the woman, claiming it was a shakedown. Casino Royale, which Haggis co-wrote, is scheduled to show on Sunday, June 26. The festival’s website, however, currently lists only director Martin Campbell as appearing at the post-screening Q&A. Other notables attending the event include Oliver Stone, Pawel Pawlikowski, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Irons, Alfre Woodard, Sinead Cusack, Matt Dillon, Edward Norton, Joely Richardson, and Marisa Tomei. The Times wrote that “she was treated following a protocol used in Italy for victims of violence against women” and that “she subsequently reported the violence to the police.” Her accusations stated that the noted filmmaker “would have forced the young woman, that he had met some time before, to endure sexual intercourse.”

Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis has been detained in Italy over allegations of sexual assault and aggravated personal injury, according to a statement ...

He added: "Haggis immediately declared that he was completely innocent and that he hopes for the maximum speed of all the necessary investigations to clarify the matter. Haggis is an acclaimed director, producer and screenwriter. Public prosecutors in the nearby town of Brindisi said in a statement Sunday that they issued a warrant for the detention of a "70-year-old" Canadian man identified as "P.H.," who was staying in Ostuni.

Oscar-winning director Paul Haggis was arrested in Italy on Sunday on charges of sexual assault and aggravated personal injury, police said.

"Under Italian Law, I cannot discuss the evidence," Chaudry said in a statement. He won two Oscars in 2006 for the film "Crash." He has faced legal trouble before.

Oscar-winning Canadian screenwriter and director Paul Haggis is under house arrest in southern Italy on charges of sexual assault and aggravated personal ...

"Under Italian Law, I cannot discuss the evidence. They said that on Sunday after the non-consensual relations that man accompanied the woman to Brindisi airport, where she was left despite her "precarious physical and psychological conditions." Haggis was charged with forcing a young non-Italian woman to have sexual intercourse against her will the course of two days in Ostuni, Italy, public prosecutors in Brindisi said in a statement on Sunday.