Paul Haggis drops lawsuit against publicist over sex allegations

Filmmaker Paul Haggis has dropped the lawsuit he filed against the woman who accused him of sexual assault.

The Crash director filed paperwork against Haleigh Breest in 2017 before she came forward with claims of "gender violence" against the Brit, claiming he had been approached by her lawyer demanding $9,000 (£6,800).

His case was dismissed last summer (18) and he filed an appeal, which he has now dropped, according to The Blast.

According to court documents obtained by the outlet, Haggis is planning to continue his fight against the separate civil lawsuit his accuser filed against him.

A statement from Breest’s attorney, Ilann M. Maazel, reads: "Mr. Haggis’ lawsuit against Haleigh Breest was a disgrace. It was in our view an attempt to silence and intimidate Ms. Breest, and it failed. Mr. Haggis should never have sued Ms. Breest in the first place, and we are pleased that he finally gave up."

In her civil suit against the Oscar winner, Breest claimed Haggis forced her to pleasure him orally. The writer/director revealed he received oral sex from the publicist, but there was no rape involved, stating: "All sexual activity and interactions between the parties were consensual."

In her lawsuit, Breest also claimed she and Haggis had vaginal sex, but the Crash director has denied this. He has also denied claims he forced the publicist to drink alcohol, and her allegations she lost consciousness.

The filmmaker supported his argument that he's no sexual predator and respects women by including written testimonies signed by his female housekeeper and assistant.