UPDATED with afternoon session: In texts from Haleigh Breest to a good friend the day after she says she was raped by filmmaker Paul Haggis in 2013, Breest known as the intercourse “tough and aggressive,” wrote “by no means ever once more” and “He tore me.” She described “Attempting to overlook final night time,” which she had spent at Haggis’ residence in Soho after a movie-screening occasion.
“And I hold saying no,” Breest wrote to the good friend within the string of texts, which have been proven to jurors Monday on the fourth day of Haggis’ sexual assault civil trial in Manhattan. “However I suppose that’s simply an invite or a problem.”
Breest additionally wrote, “However he’s like essentially the most charming particular person to have a dialog with and so good!!!” She texted, “I don’t suppose he’s a horrible particular person and when you obtained to know him you’d like him however what he did was so improper!”
Breest was a 26-year-old film occasions publicist at an organization in New York Metropolis owned by a good friend of Haggis. She went to his residence after the occasion, the place she had been working, and mentioned that after there, Haggis compelled her to have unprotected oral and vaginal intercourse, and pushed his fingers inside her. She testified that she handed out on a visitor mattress and left the residence within the morning to go house after which again to work.
Breest testified that she known as the good friend twice that day and that she will’t bear in mind her phrases, however in each conversations described what occurred as a violent, undesirable assault. The primary particular person to make use of the phrase “rape” within the texts proven to jurors was her good friend. “I’d name this borderline rape” the good friend wrote.
“It kind of is Dwell and be taught!” Breest texted.
A lawyer for Haggis, Priya Chaudhry, questioned Breest for 3 hours concerning the alleged rape, and concerning the tone and content material of texts and emails between her and a handful of individuals together with Haggis himself — who she noticed 11 days later at one other film occasion she was working. Breest emailed Haggis afterward, writing, “It was so crowded final night time! Did you’ve gotten enjoyable?” and inquiring, “What time zone are you on? :)”
“You finish that electronic mail with a smiley face, right?” Chaudhry requested.
“Right,” Breest mentioned.
Chaudhry additionally requested, “And also you sought out an interplay with somebody who you declare sexually assaulted you?”
Breest typically tried to elaborate past a sure or a no however discovered a few of her longer explanatory replies affected by the choose, Sabrina Kraus.
On Friday, Breest grew agitated about 5 hours right into a cross-examination by Chaudhry that Breest lawyer Zoe Salzman characterised afterward in a press release because the protection going “as far as to demand Ms. Breest get up and reenact the rape.” Deadline has requested a response from Haggis’ attorneys.
Breest on Friday was standing subsequent to the witness field and making an attempt to indicate how Chaudhry how she squirmed to keep away from Haggis. On Monday, the choose introduced an finish to any testimony that can’t be verbalized for the written report of the trial.
“Even essentially the most inept phrases are higher than a movement that couldn’t be noticed for the report,” she mentioned.
PREVIOUSLY, 11:40 AM: A Canadian lady testifying within the sexual assault civil trial of filmmaker Paul Haggis mentioned Monday that when she rejected Haggis’ sexual advances at a tv trade pageant in Canada in 2006, he pinned her in opposition to a wall in his resort room, and later groped and shoved her as she ready to go away the resort in a taxi.
The lady, who Deadline will not be figuring out by identify, is certainly one of 4 that attorneys for plaintiff Haleigh Breest plan to name to the stand with comparable allegations of rape or tried sexual assault. Breest, who has accused Haggis of raping her in 2013 when she was an occasions publicist, returned to the stand on Monday afternoon to renew a prolonged cross-examination that left her in tears Friday and introduced the day’s testimony to an early shut. The choose, Sabrina Kraus, allowed the opposite accuser to go first, out of flip, citing scheduling points.
In additional than two hours on the stand, Jane Doe mentioned she attended the Banff World Tv Pageant in June 2006 on a prize fellowship to be able to make trade contacts and pitch documentary initiatives; she has since left the sector. Haggis, who got here up by way of tv, was the keynote speaker and principal honoree at a pageant in Banff, Alberta, for his Oscar-winning work on Crash and Million Greenback Child.
“He had received two Oscars lately and that was huge deal for a Canadian filmmaker,” the lady testified at present.
She mentioned she first noticed Haggis converse at a Q&A, after which sought him out at a pub the place attendees obtained to go to one-on-one with the pageant’s visitor of honor. She mentioned the 2 exchanged jokes, pleasantries and talked store, after which Haggis invited her to an unique after-party on the pageant’s resort headquarters. “It gave the impression of an excellent alternative,” she mentioned.
As quickly as they climbed right into a cab collectively, she realized the way it may need appeared to different attendees on the pub, she informed a Breest lawyer, Zoe Salzman.
”I mentioned I hope no person obtained the improper impression,” she testified. “He mentioned, ‘Folks often do.’ ”
On the cab journey again to the resort, Haggis seemed to be speaking and texting on his cell phone to substantiate the placement of the after-party, she testified. Again on the resort they walked down an extended hallway to a room “and he took out his key to open it,” she mentioned. “I used to be instantly apprehensive,” she mentioned. She mentioned she took a step backwards on the doorway and Haggis informed her, “Don’t fear,” as a result of the after-party was going to be in his room and extra folks have been en route.
Inside, he poured them wine and held out the glass for her to step ahead and declare it, and when she did, he kissed her, the lady testified. “I used to be completely caught off guard,” she mentioned. She apologized. “I mentioned I’m so sorry if I gave you blended indicators. I’m right here for skilled causes,” she testified.
Haggis apologized and recommended they simply sit on the sofa as an alternative and speak about her profession, she mentioned. However after 20 minutes or so he tried to kiss her once more and when she obtained up and backed away, she mentioned, she finally backed right into a wall with him advancing on her. He grabbed her arms and tried to kiss her as soon as extra, she testified. When she turned away to keep away from the kiss, she mentioned, “Mr. Haggis used his left hand to seize my face.”
“Reduce it out. You’re making me really feel like an asshole,” she mentioned he informed her. With one arm unpinned, she wriggled free and left the resort room, and Haggis trailed her out, providing to pay for her cab again to the YMCA the place she and the opposite fellowship winners have been being put up for the pageant. She mentioned she agreed to the fare, and when the cab arrived, he grabbed her breasts from behind and kissed her neck, after which shoved her forcefully towards the cab — arduous sufficient that she stumbled. She mentioned he handed the motive force cash.
“I felt humiliated. I felt gross. I felt silly. I simply needed to get out of there,” the lady testified. Requested by Salzman why she felt silly, she replied, “As a result of I stupidly believed folks have been coming” to the after-party at his resort room despite the fact that “lots of time had elapsed.”
On cross examination by a Haggis lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, the witness mentioned she by no means pitched Haggis on any of her venture concepts in any of the time she spoke with him.
