The defense in the Paul Haggis rape trial had a busy Monday, calling several witnesses including the filmmaker’s adult daughter, a personal friend who said she once rejected Haggis’ advance without incident, a memory expert who previously testified in Harvey Weinstein’s New York trail and a former Scientologist who testified that church officials once ordered her to dig up dirt on the Oscar-winning “Crash” director.
The jury heard nearly two weeks of plaintiffs’ testimony in the civil trial being brought by Haleigh Breest, a former freelance events publicist who said Haggis pressured her to go to his Manhattan apartment after a 2013 movie premiere and raped her.