The filmmaker was found liable for raping a woman in Manhattan in 2013.
A jury in New York found Paul Haggis liable on three counts of rape and sexual abuse on Thursday.
The jury came to their unanimous verdict after nearly six hours of deliberation and found Haggis liable for $7.5 million in compensatory damages, as well as additional punitive damages to be determined on Monday, according to multiple reports.
Haggis was accused of rape in a civil case filed by Haleigh Breest in 2017, in relation to an incident in 2013. Breest, a film industry publicist, left a film screening afterparty with Haggis in 2013, when he offered her a ride home.
Haggis invited Breest to his Manhattan apartment for a drink. Breest claims that Haggis then made unwanted advances before being made to perform oral sex on him. Breest claims Haggis then raped her, as she repeatedly pleaded for him to stop.
Haggis confirmed that they did, in fact, go to his apartment, but denied the accusations of rape and alleges that Breest initiated kissing and oral sex. Haggis claims he cannot recall if they had sex, but staunchly denied forcing himself on her.
After the verdict was read, Breest released a statement, sharing, "I am grateful that I had the opportunity to seek justice and accountability in court — and that the jury chose to follow the facts — and believed me."
Haggis addressed the verdict outside the courthouse and said he was "disappointed" by the outcome.
"I’m obviously very disappointed in the results. And I’m going to continue to, with my team, fight to clear my name," Haggis said, per Deadline. "We’re going to keep our options as to what we’re going to do."
Earlier this year, in an unrelated incident, Haggis was arrested in Italy on sexual assault charges.
In June, an unnamed woman accused the director of forcing her to engage in sexual intercourse over a two-day period. She was allegedly left at Papola Casale airport on Sunday where airport security worked with authorities and she was taken to a local hospital. The woman was allegedly experiencing “precarious physical and psychological conditions.” At the hospital, the woman filed formal charges against the director.
Haggis' lawyer denied the allegations, and charges were dropped against Haggis in August, who spent 16 days under house arrest after first being arrested.
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