Paul Haggis Settles Rape Lawsuit From Ex-Film Publicist
Paul Haggis will pay nearly $2 million to settle a lawsuit from a former film publicist who prevailed in a 2022 rape trial against the Crash director. In one of several #MeToo era cases, the ex-publicist, Haleigh Breest, accused Haggis of rape and forcing her to perform oral sex in his Manhattan apartment in 2013. At the time, Haggis denied the allegations and maintained that he couldn’t recall whether they had sex. A jury ultimately sided with Breest and ordered him to pay roughly $7.5 million, with the judge later adding $2.8 million for legal fees. Under the settlement, Haggis agreed to pay more than $1.9 million to resolve the case, according to a court notice filed on Monday. “The parties to this action have amicably resolved all disputes,” the document said. The 2022 verdict came around the same time another civil jury, also in New York, found that Kevin Spacey didn’t sexually abuse a fellow actor. In Los Angeles, Harvey Weinstein and That ’70s Show actor Danny Masterson were also on trial on criminal rape charges. …

