Prosecutors in Italy ask for dismissal

Paul Haggis

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The criminal sexual assault case against Paul Haggis in Italy may be nearing completion, with prosecutors in the southern Italian city of Brindisi, where Haggis was accused of sexual assault, calling for the case to be dismissed.

The case dates back to June 2022, when the writer and director were detained and placed under house arrest following a complaint from a British woman who was attending the Allora Film Festival with the director. According to the charges, Haggis allegedly abused the woman for three days (June 12-15, 2022) at the residences they shared. As a result of the complaint, the director remained under protective house arrest from June 19 to July 4, a decision that was later overturned by preliminary investigating judge Vilma Gili once it was determined that there was no risk of recurrence.

The Brindisi prosecutor’s office told local media that the investigation had not proven that the relationship was not consensual. The decision to reject the lawsuit was presented last January Th rome By Attorney General Antonio Negro, who said at the time: “In mid-February we will submit either a request to drop the case or a notice of the end of the preliminary investigation.”

Haggis, 70, denied the accusations.

A judge in Brindisi will now decide whether to dismiss the case. There is still a possibility that the British woman who made the allegations against Haggis could come forward in 2022 to oppose the dismissal.

Haggis and prosecutors could not immediately be reached for comment.

This is not the first case in which Haggis has been accused of sexual assault. In the United States, he was convicted in civil court of raping his former assistant, Haley Priest. Haggis was sued in 2017, in the early months of the #MeToo movement, over an assault that occurred in the director’s apartment in 2013. Although he did not face any criminal charges in the case, a New York civil court awarded Priest $7.5 million. dollars as compensation. Compensation, plus $2.5 million in punitive damages, for a total of $10 million.

Last January, as investigations into the Brindisi case continued (and following the New York court ruling), Haggis returned to Italy. From January 26 to 28, he organized a special workshop, open to up to 20 actors and actresses, that “focused on the audition process: from scene preparation to filming,” according to an Instagram announcement posted on January 8.

But the association immediately distanced itself from the event. “Artisti 7607 is not participating in this workshop,” stated President Cinzia Mascoli, referring any further communications and requests to Haggis’ personal assistant.

But by contacting the assistant, it was not possible to get a meeting with Haggis and the workshop location was not shared, despite repeated requests. The response was: “Paul thanks for your interest.” “However, he has asked me to inform you that his classes are not open to journalists and/or exclusive journalists as this may violate the privacy of the artists who need the intimacy and protection to explore their personalities in the workshop that Paul offers.”