Later this month, filmmaker Paul Haggis was scheduled to take part in a film festival — the Allora Fest — in Ostuni, a town in southeastern Italy. Now, however, things have taken an unsettling turn. The Hollywood Reporter reported that Haggis was taken into police custody in Ostuni on Sunday. The charges, according to the article, were “sexual assault and aggravated personal injury.”
The Hollywood Reporter article cites multiple reports in Italian media regarding the charges. Not a lot of details are known at present, in keeping with Italian law. The article cites a police report that states that the woman pressing charges against Haggis was taken to an airport, which she then left — all the while dealing with what the police referred to as “precarious physical and psychological conditions.”
She was assisted by police and medical personnel, and subsequently pressed charges. A statement from Haggis’s attorney, Priya Chaudhry, indicated that he would cooperate with law enforcement.
This is not the first time Haggis has been accused of sexual misconduct. In 2018, multiple women accused the filmmaker of rape and other forms of predatory behavior. Prior to that, Haggis was known primarily for his work ilm film and television, as well as with a high-profile feud with the Church of Scientology.
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