Canadian director and Oscar winner Paul Haggis faces a rape charge in New York. An agent accuses the “LA Crash” director of raping her in 2017. Haggis denies that.
The director was “powerful” and “manipulative,” said the agent’s attorney at the beginning of the civil trial in court in New York, according to US media reports. Harris also appeared, but initially did not comment.
The process should take several weeks. Several other women accuse the director of sexual assault. Some of them, even if they are not plaintiffs, should be allowed to testify in court. Haggis only had to deal with allegations of sexual assault in Italy in the summer.