Judge allows ex-Scientologist director Paul Haggis to argue at civil rape trial that the church is behind sex-assault allegation

• Oscar-winning director Paul Haggis is set to face trial next month on a sex-assault allegation.
• Haleigh Breest claims Haggis raped her when she worked as a film publicist in 2013.

A judge cleared the way for Paul Haggis to argue that the Church of Scientology is behind a sex-assault allegation leveraged against him, when that civil case goes to trial next month.

Haleigh Breest sued Haggis in 2017, accusing the Oscar-winning director of raping her after a movie premiere she attended as a film publicist in January 2013. Haggis claims the sex was consensual. Jury selection in the trial begins October 11 in New York City Supreme Court.

Haggis won a major pre-trial motion on Friday when Judge Sabrina Kraus ruled that his lawyers would be allowed to argue that the Church of Scientology is behind the lawsuit. In a statement to Insider on Monday, a spokesperson for the church said it "has nothing to do with the claims against Haggis nor does it have any relation to his accusers."

"The claim is absurd and patently false," Scientology spokesperson Karin Pouw wrote.

Haggis was a high-ranking member of Scientology before breaking from the religion in 2009, and going on to publicly accuse it of being a cult. He was a key figure in the 2015 documentary about the religion, "Going Clear."

Breest's attorneys wanted any mention of the church banned at the trial, saying Haggis' claims that the church induced Breest to make a complaint against him are "an outright lie" for which he has "not produced one shred of evidence to support."

But Haggis' legal team said the evidence will show there's a compelling case that the church is behind Breest's allegation as part of their "vendetta" against him for leaving.

According to a filing on the matter, Haggis' lawyers said that a former Scientology leader told the director that the church is "funding this case."

One witness cited in the court filing said a senior Scientology executive directed her to search Screen Actors Guild files for "any claims or complaints" regarding Haggis "being aggressive, screaming, or violent behavior ... with a woman."

A second witness said the church has a "black PR policy" for dealing with enemies, whereby they dig up dirt "to discredit them as a way to diminish their impact."

"Haggis is no ordinary defendant in a civil case. He is the most public enemy of a notorious, nefarious, powerful and well-funded institution which is known to destroy its detractors," Haggis' attorneys wrote in their filing.

Judge Kraus sided with the argument in her decision, writing that it's up to the jury to decide whether or not the church is playing a role in Breest's allegation.

"The jury is entitled to be informed of any possible motive Plaintiffs may have and about The Church's efforts to discredit Haggis," Judge Kraus wrote in her order.

Breest is not the only woman to make sexual assault claims against Haggis. A year after Breest sued Haggis in 2017, her lawyers filed an amended complaint, explaining that three other women had come forward to them with similar claims against Haggis.

Haggis was also detained in Italy over the summer when another woman accused him of rape. But he was eventually released from detention and no charges have resulted from the allegation.

Judge Kraus said Breest's lawyers will be able to use the testimonies of the three other alleged victims in their case, to try and prove a pattern of behavior. But the Italy arrest is off limits at trial, Kraus ordered.

"The allegations in that case have not been sustained and were deemed insufficient to keep defendant under arrest," Kraus said.

When reached for comment on the judge's rulings, Ilann M. Maazel, one of the attorneys representing Breest, issued the following statement:

"Over Paul Haggis' objection, Judge Kraus ruled that multiple other women can testify that Haggis assaulted them, too. Their powerful sworn testimony will be damning to Haggis and stands in stark contrast to the complete lack of evidence for Haggis's sham scientology conspiracy theory," Maazel said.

A representative for Haggis did not immediately respond to requests for comment on this story.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include a statement from the Church of Scientology.