Paul Haggis ordered to pay $10 million to publicist in civil rape lawsuit

Just a few days after declaring that Oscar-winning screenwriter Paul Haggis is guilty of sexual assault in a civil rape trial, aNew York juryordered him topay an additional $2.5 million in damages to the accuser Haleigh Breest, bringing the total to $10 million.Last week on Thursday, he was found guilty of all three counts of rape and sexual abuse, following a two-week trial in Manhattan.

While Breest’s lawyers called the verdict "just", Haggis maintainedthat he had been falsely accused by the publicist and that their encounters were consensual. He added that he has been financially ruined by fighting the civil case but vowed to appeal to clear his name.

"I can’t live with lies like this. I will die clearing my name," Haggis said as he left court.

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According to Breest's statement, Haggis raped her and forced her to perform oral sex in his New York apartment in 2013,when she was just 26 years old.

As jurors returned to court on Monday to hear testimony about Haggis’ finances and decide how much more he’d have to pay to the accuser, they got a quick course in movie financing as Haggis was questioned about his earnings from films like 'Crash'and 'Million Dollar Baby'.

While speaking about the complexities of screenwriting compensation, Haggis and his attorneys estimated that throughout his career he’s made somewhere around$25 millionbefore taxes, agents’ and other representatives’ fees and asset splits with his two ex-wives.

During Monday’s hearing, the 69-year-old filmmaker said that he’d suffered various financial losses in the last few years and that Breest’s lawsuit has wiped him out. He also stated that his legal bills have reached $2.6 millionwhile his career has abruptly dried up.

“I’ve spent all the money I have at my disposal. I’ve gutted my pension plan, I’ve lived on loans, in order to pay for this case in a very naïve belief in justice,” he said outside court.

Meanwhile, Breest’s lawyers questioned Haggis’ claims of being broke. “Nothing Paul Haggis says can be trusted,” attorney Ilann Maazel said.

The 36-year-old publicist previouslysaid that she has suffered both professional and psychological harm from what happened in 2013, following a movie premiere. And, she declined to make any further comments on Monday.

After the initial verdict came on Thursday, she said that she appreciates “the opportunity to seek justice and accountability in court and that the jury chose to follow the facts, and believed" her.

Haggis wasn’t criminally charged in the matter.

(With inputs from agencies)