A jury has been selected in the Paul Haggis rape trial, which is set to beginwith opening remarks on Wednesday morning in New York City.
Haggis, the Oscar-winning director of “Crash” and screenwriter of “MillionDollar Baby,” has been accused of raping a publicist named Haleigh Breestafter a movie premiere nearly a decade ago. Breest’s lawsuit was filed in 2017in the wake of the #MeToo movement, which led to an influx of sexual assaultallegations against prominent men.
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Haggis has claimed the encounter, which took place in 2013, was consensual andmaintains the rape charge came in retaliation for his decision to leave andthen criticsze the Church of Scientology. Prior to the trial, Breest’sattorneys sought to block Haggis from arguing that Scientology wasorchestrating the allegations in retaliation, saying that Breest and otherwitnesses have no connection to the church. They also argued that pursuingthat line of defense will distract the jury from the particulars of Breest’sallegations. But in September, Judge Sabrina Kraus ruled that Haggis will beable to use that argument.
On Tuesday, the defense and the prosecution questioned the potential jurorsabout their familiarity with the #MeToo movement, as well as the Church ofScientology. However, the focus on the controversial religion wasn’t nearly aspronounced as it was at the jury selection for the rape trial for “That ’70sShow” actor Danny Masterson, which is currently underway in Los Angeles.
Attorneys revealed that Leah Remini, the “King of Queens” star who leftScientology and became an outspoken critic, and Oscar-winner Susan Sarandonare among the defendant’s potential witnesses who could be called to testify.Remini has previously suggested that Scientology was behind the sexual assaultclaims against Haggis.
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After the jurors were selected, the attorneys and the judge deliberated a fewkey points regarding the line of questioning toward the potential jurors, aswell as Scientology’s place in the trial.
“It should be made clear that whether or not the jury decides what happenswith Scientology doesn’t have anything to do with Ms. Breest telling thetruth,” Haggis’ defense lawyer Priya Chaudhry said.
Breest’s attorney Ilann M. Maazel responded: “This entire Scientologyconspiracy, which is what it is, should have no place in the trial. I feelstrongly it shouldn’t be mentioned.”
The judge only took issue with the usage of the phrase “conspiracy theory.”
“I would ask ‘conspiracy theory’ not be used during trial,” she said. “But youcould refer to ‘a theory of defense’ that the church is behind this or workingwith these women to come forward.”
Since it’s a civil trial, Haggis only faces potential monetary damages and notjail time. Kraus estimates the trial will take two weeks and will end sometimebetween Oct. 31 through Nov. 4.
Lawyers for Haggis, who left Scientology in 2009 about its opposition to gaymarriage, have argued that there’s evidence the Church of Scientology wastrying to “find dirt” on the director before the rape allegation was leveledagainst him.
Breest will be able to call three other “Jane Doe” witnesses who have leveledisolated sexual assault allegations against Haggis.
Following the 2017 lawsuit, Haggis sued Breest for accusations of falseallegations and trying to extort him for $9 million. Haggis’ suit wasdismissed, and he’s not able to bring it up at trial.
In a court filing in 2021, Haggis asked for a speedy trial, asserting thepending case has halted his career and nearly bankrupted him in legal fees.
The lawsuit against Haggis is one of four high-profile ongoing sexual assaulttrials this month. The others are against Kevin Spacey, Harvey Weinstein andMasterson.
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