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As investigations into sexual assault allegations against Paul Haggis continue, Italian judges have denied state prosecutors' request to re-detail the Canadian director. According to Deadline and Italian news agency ANSA, judges Livia Orlando and Gualberto Buccarelli have overturned the request.
For those who do not know, the screenwriter was arrested on June 19 as a 28-year-old woman, reportedly of British origin, accused Haggis of sexual misconduct. As per Deadline, the woman has accused Haggis of repeatedly assaulting her from June 12 to June 15.
Exploring the sexual assault allegations against Paul Haggis
According to Deadline, the alleged victim and Haggis first met at the Monte Carlo Film Festival, after which the woman was invited to meet Haggis in Ostuni.
After being arrested for assault, Haggis spent 16 days under house arrest in the hotel where he was staying. The director remained in Ostuni and did not attempt to leave Italy.
The Oscar-winning director's Italian lawyer Michele Laforgia issued a statement to The Hollywood Reporter in which Laforgia said that the appellate court judges "unanimously rejected the prosecutor's appeal to have Haggis' house arrest reinstated."
Laforgia also noted that unless there is any evidence against him, the prosecutors shall have to close the case against Paul Haggis, which reportedly the director and his legal team expected to happen in the coming weeks.
Moreover, the Crash screenwriter is facing another court case in the United States as film publicist Haleigh Breest sued him in 2018, stating that he allegedly raped her in January 2013. While the trial was pending for this case due to COVID-19-related delays, an official date has been fixed for October 11.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Haggis has stated that his encounter with the film publicist was consensual. However, after Breest went public about Paul Haggis, four other women have also made similar allegations against him.
More on Paul Haggis' career
Haggis has established himself as a director for over 20 years. He received his two Best Film Academy Awards as a screenwriter for the movies Crash and Million Dollar Baby.
He has also worked in two Clint Eastwood productions, Flags Of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima. The screenwriter also penned a part of the 2006 James Bond movie Casino Royale, which made him receive considerable acclaim worldwide.
In 2007, Haggis wrote, directed, and produced the movie In the Valley of Elah, which starred Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, and Susan Sarandon. He worked in the film The Next Three Days, which starred Russell Crowe, Liam Neeson, and Elizabeth Banks.
In 2013, he was a part of the drama Third Person, which starred renowned names from the film fraternity, namely Liam Neeson, Olivia Wilde, and Mila Kunis.
Neither the 28-year-old woman nor her legal team has commented on the overturning of Haggis' house arrest. However, having requested for Paul Haggis' re-arrest, the Italian prosecutors will likely push for the case to go to a fair trial.
