“Crash” director Paul Haggis, who was reportedly sued in December by a woman who accused him of rape, has now been accused of sexual misconduct by three more women — one of whom also accuses Haggis of rape — the Associated Press reports.
According to the AP, the three new accusers were prompted to come forward by the suit filed by publicist Haleigh Breest, who accused Haggis of raping her in 2013.
One of three additional women accusing Haggis said that the director forced her to perform oral sex prior to raping her, the report states.
A second new accuser told the AP that she managed to run away from Haggis after he told her, “I need to be inside you.”
The new accusers, who say that the alleged encounters took place between 1996 and 2015, said that Haggis lured them with the prospect of discussions of productions or a professional discussion. According to the AP, the new accusers unanimously said that Haggis initially attempted to kiss them; two accusers said that Haggis became more aggressive after they spurned his advances.
The woman accusing Haggis of rape, who said she was a 28-year-old publicist at the time of the alleged incident, said that the filmmaker called her to his office to review photos from a television show that he was producing in 1996.
While she thought the request was “odd,” the new accuser said that she nonetheless agreed to meet, and that Haggis began to kiss her as they entered a back office.
“I just pulled away. He was just glaring at me and came at me again. I was really resisting,” the woman told the AP. “He said to me, ‘Do you really want to continue working?’ … And then he really forced himself on me. I was just numb. I didn’t know what to do.”
According to the woman, Haggis forced her to perform oral sex before pushing her to the floor and raping her.
Another new accuser says that she met with Haggis in the late 2000s at his office in Los Angeles in order to pitch him on an idea for a television show. The woman, who said she was in her 30s at the time, said that Haggis told her that he and his wife had an agreement regarding extramarital relationships, then attempted to kiss her.
“I felt like my life could have been over,” the new accuser, who said she managed to escape the situation and drive away, added.
Haggis’ attorney denied the new allegations, asserting, “He didn’t rape anybody.”
Haggis also denied Breest’s accusations, and has filed his own suit against Breest, alleging that he was targeted by a $9 million extortion attempt.