Director Paul Haggis took the stand in a New York courtroom Wednesday morning, pushing again on allegations he raped a publicist at his Manhattan penthouse suite in 2013.

Haggis instructed the jury that plaintiff Haleigh Breest acted “playful” and “cartoony” when he requested her to return again to his SoHo loft for a late evening drink—and willingly kissed him again—after months of exchanging “flirtatious” emails following a Manhattan movie premiere on Jan. 31, 2013.

“Why did you invite Ms. Breest over for a drink?” Priya Chaudhry, Haggis’ lawyer requested him.

“I used to be considering spending far more time together with her,” the Hollywood producer Stated. “I actually favored her and I wished to see the place this went.”

“I stated let’s go to my place for a glass of wine,” Haggis recounted. “She stated ‘OK.’ Then she stated one thing actually odd. She stated, ‘OK, I’ll come however I’m not going to spend the evening’.”

“Why did you describe that as odd?” Chaudhry countered.

“If any person says they’re not going to spend the evening or they’re going to sleep over it’s an odd factor to say while you’re going for a drink,” Haggis defined. “It appeared to point that there’s a data issues might go additional however she’s not going to sleepover. I hadn’t invited her to sleepover. It was simply odd.”

“Director Paul Haggis.

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Breest, 36, a former publicist who had been working the movie premiere of Steven Soderbergh’s 2013 thriller Facet Results, the place she encountered Haggis on the evening of the alleged rape, beforehand testified that she felt like a “caged animal” as Haggis made undesirable advances on her.

Breest testified she finally consented to have a drink at his condominium however said the incident rapidly devolved.

“He’s making an attempt to tug my tights down and I’m making an attempt to tug them up,” Breest testified. “He seemed just like the satan—he seemed completely totally different than I’d seen him earlier than.”

On the stand Wednesday, nonetheless, Haggis was adamant that Breest smiled at him after he kissed her closed mouth shortly after arriving at his luxurious constructing.

“Instantly earlier than you kissed Ms. Breest, what was the expression on her face?” Chaudhry requested.

“Smiling,” Haggis stated.

“What was the expression in your face?” Chaudhry replied.

“Smiling,” he repeated. “I leaned ahead… and I kissed her closed mouth, like one second.”

He stated Breest, who he stated acted “stunned,” later used his lavatory, earlier than the pair kissed a second time in Haggis’ kitchen.

“What did Breest do while you kissed her a second time?” Chaudhry requested after displaying pictures of Haggis’ suite for the jury.

“She was kissing me again,” he stated.

Breest, who filed her civil swimsuit in 2017 on the top of the #MeToo motion, testified earlier at trial that she first got here ahead with the accusations after she noticed the Million Greenback Child author converse out towards convicted intercourse offender Harvey Weinstein on social media and in The Guardian. Breest maintains that Haggis compelled her to carry out oral intercourse on him earlier than raping her. She’s searching for unspecified damages.

Breest initially filed her swimsuit after she unsuccessfully tried to achieve a $9 million out-of-court settlement from Haggis, whose legal professionals subsequently scoffed on the transfer, labeling it a shakedown meant to bankrupt the Hollywood filmmaker. Haggis later sued Breest denying the accusations. Breest finally countersued Haggis for rape.

The 2-time Oscar-winner, in the meantime, has long-asserted the encounter was consensual.

A former Scientologist, Haggis has accused the church of producing the sexual assault allegations and the case towards him as retribution from publicly defecting from the controversial faith in 2009.

He was a church member for 35 years. Haggis testified Wednesday how he’d reached the OT VII—the best attainable rating a follower can attain throughout the “excessive” faith.

“It’s what they name Working Thetan,” Haggis stated.

Haggis testified he gave a “silly quantity” of money to the faith—estimating he’d shelled out roughly $250,000 for “auditing,” the controversial and so-called therapeutic observe, which he likened to interrogation.

“Even after they’re interrogating you, you pay for it,” Haggis testified. “It was so much.”

Haggis, who later discovered the periods had been recorded, stated the church’s auditors had been “fixated on intercourse and ladies.” He spoke of the alleged “beatings” high-ranking church members doled out to disobedient clergy members.

Haggis grew to become emotional at one level on the stand, eradicating his glasses to wipe away tears as he spoke in regards to the isolation he’s undergone since being accused.

Paul Haggis leaves courtroom accompanied by his household and ex-wife Deborah Rennard, far left, who testified in his protection.

Dorian Geiger

He applauded the continued help of his ex-wife, TV actress, Deborah Rennard, who testified earlier on Wednesday.

“She’s outstanding,” Haggis stated, his voice cracking. “She’s been my greatest buddy ever since.”

“How would you describe your relationship with Ms. Rennard now?” Chaudhry requested.

“

She’s right here. You recognize, it’s like so few folks get up for you in a scenario like this. She’s right here.

”

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Paul Haggis on ex-wife Deborah Rennard

Haggis additionally testified Wednesday that the one time he’d ever been violent in direction of girls was when he punched his first spouse after she allegedly attacked him with a knife.

Haggis has claimed the case’s drawn-out case litigation has successfully bankrupted him.

“I’m extremely nervous, in fact,” Haggis testified moments after taking the stand Wednesday. “And I’m very blissful. As a result of for 5 years I’ve been unable to clear my identify.”

Hon. Sabrina Kraus, the decide presiding over the case, beforehand dominated Haggis might argue that the Church of Scientology was concerned with the case.

Final week, Mike Rinder, a former senior govt within the Church of Scientology testified that Haggis was one of many faith’s “top-three enemies” of the faith.

In the course of the trial’s opening statements his legal professionals referred to the church as a “world-famous legal group.”

“The circumstantial proof of Scientology’s involvement right here will probably be highly effective,” Haggis’ lawyer Priya Chaudhry beforehand stated in courtroom.

Director Paul Haggis and spouse Deborah Rennard on the 2008 Academy Awards.

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Actress and ex-Scientologist Leah Remini and Susan Sarandon, are additionally rumored to take the stand in Haggis’ protection.

4 different girls, who got here ahead after Breest filed her swimsuit, have additionally accused Haggis of sexually assaulting them, or making an attempt to, throughout incidents that occurred between 1996 and 2015.

In June, Haggis was additionally arrested in Italy after a “international girl” accused the movie mogul of getting “non-consensual relations” with a “international girl” at a movie competition within the nation. He spent 16 days on home arrest in a lodge earlier than an Italian courtroom dismissed the case. Haggis’ legal professionals had then-claimed the unnamed sufferer within the case sought to manufacture the allegations as a result of she’d been fixated on incomes a display credit score as a “Bond Woman.”

Haggis, wearing a black swimsuit, mild blue costume shirt and navy tie, left courtroom on Wednesday flanked by his youngsters and quite a few relations. He compelled a fleeting smile as he strode previous courtroom reporters.

Breest’s lawyer, Ilann Maazel, declined to remark following the afternoon proceedings.

Haggis’ testimony is predicted to proceed Thursday morning.

The post Director Paul Haggis Tells Courtroom Encounter With Accuser Was Consensual first appeared on Raw News.