Italian judges rejected the request of state prosecutors to re-detain Canadian director Paul Haggis. However, an investigation into allegations of sexual assault against him is continuing.
Ansa, the local news agency, reported that Gualberto and Livia Buccarelli, judges at the Lecce appeals court in southern Italy had overturned the request.
Oscar-winning Crash On June 19, director was arrested while attending an Ostuni culture festival, close to Brindisi port. Following accusations of sexual assault against a young woman of British origin, he was taken into custody.
She claimed that the director had repeatedly abused her sexually over three days between June 12th, and June 15,
They first met at theMonte Carlo Film Festival in April. This led to the invitation for the woman to join the Ostuni director.
Haggis strongly denied the allegations. He stated that his greatest mistake was inviting someone to come along to him, which he didn’t know.
Haggis was released from prison after being initially held in jail. Judge Wilma Gili of preliminary investigations lifted the order on July 4, stating that Haggis was not a threat.
Prosecutors immediately attempted to have Haggis re-detained.
Haggis has remained in Ostuni as the investigation continues and has not attempted to leave Italy.
Following the Lecce ruling, Michele Laforgia, his Italian attorney, stated in a statement that he expected the case would be reopened in the next few days.
It is unknown if this will happen. The prosecutors are likely to push for the matter being tried. Gilli can make that decision, though.
Italy’s judicial system is notorious for its drawn-out processes and multiple appeals which means cases can often take months or years before a final ruling is achieved.
This comes at a sensitive moment for Haggis. She is currently facing a New York court hearing after a civil lawsuit was filed in 2017 in New York by Haleigh Breest, an events publicist. Haggis has accused the director, of raping Haggis at a 2013 party.
Due to a Covid-related holdup, no trial date has been set. Four other women have made similar claims since Breest’s public disclosure.