- The director and screenwriter says he was recently approached by an attorney
- The attorney says he represents a woman named Haleigh Breest who said that Haggis committed an act of ‘gender violence’ against her five years ago
- Haggis said after he contacted the attorney, he demanded $9,000,000 to drop the litigation
- Haggis said the lawsuit may be retribution orchestrated by the church of Scientology, an organization he left in 2009 after being a member for 35 years
Two-time Oscar winner Paul Haggis (pictured) says he was recently approached by an attorney
Academy Award winning director and screenwriter Paul Haggis claims that a woman is attempting to extort him for millions of dollars after she threatened to go public with sexual assault allegations.
According to a lawsuit filed by Haggis and obtained by The Blast, the ‘Million Dollar Baby’ screenwriter said he was recently approached by an attorney on behalf of a woman named Haleigh Breest.
Haggis claims the attorney presented him with an unfiled lawsuit along with a letter which claims he committed an act of ‘gender violence’ against her five years ago.
The letter also entreats the Hollywood artist to contact the attorney if he was ‘interested in discussing a resolution of this matter without resort o litigation.’
On December 11, 2017, Haggis says he placed a phone call to the unknown attorney who promptly asked for a $9,000,000 settlement ‘in order to avoid the threatened lawsuit.’
Rejecting the offer, Haggis filed his own lawsuit on Friday, claiming he could not have committed any violence against Breest due to surgery he received for chronic back pain just days before the alleged assault occurred.
Breest has yet to publicly comment about the allegations or Haggis’ lawsuit.
Haleigh Breest (L) and Madonna attend THE CINEMA SOCIETY & BING host the after party for “A SINGLE MAN” at Monkey Bar on December 6, 2009
Haggis believes that the litigation may be orchestrated by the Church of Scientology, a form of retribution for his leaving the organization in 2009 after being an active member for 35 years.
In offering a rationale to the court for the litigation, Haggis explains that he ‘is not going to allow the false narrative threatened by the Defendant to frighten him into capitulating to these outrageous and wholly baseless demands, and is instead going to confront his accuser and seek all available remedies for the harm she has inflicted (and intends to continue to inflict) on him.’
The ‘Crash’ director adds: ‘Defendant’s threatened statements were designed to inflict the utmost terror upon Plaintiff, and were presented in the most graphically lurid (false) ways. The tactic of using such extreme emotional abuse was clearly designed to best insure [sic] the ransom would be paid.’
The back-to-back Oscar winner acknowledges being acquainted with Breest, who worked as a publicist for a company that hosts events for clients in the film industry, according to The Blast.
Haggis says the two ‘occasionally interacted at film-industry events and developed what [Breest] believed was a friendly, and at times flirtatious, relationship.’
The damages Haggis is seeking remains unclear.
Haggis said the lawsuit may be retribution orchestrated by the church of Scientology, an organization he left in 2009 after being a member for 35 years