 to publicist Haleigh Breest who was suing him for alleged sexual assault after a screenparty in New York in 2013. Mr Haggis had been a prominent member of the Church of Scientology for years until he left and became an outspoken critic. Mr Haggis was questioned in the trial about his allegation that the Church of Scientology was behind all of the sexual misconduct allegations against him, highlighting a line from a 2011 New Yorker article about the filmmaker's break from the religion: 'My bet is that, within two years, you're going to read something about me in a scandal that looks like it has nothing to do with the church.' 'Shameful and unsupported conspiracy' Mr Haggis, one of several writers on Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, was forced to acknowledge there was no evidence linking Ms Breest to Scientology, but testified: 'These people don't leave their fingerprints.' Ms Breest's lawyers called it 'a shameful and unsupported conspiracy theory.' The Church has rigorously denied any connection. Ms Breest, 36, told a New York court that Mr Haggis, the Canadian screenwriter also known for writing best picture Oscar winners Million Dollar Baby and Crash, offered her a lift home and invited her to his Manhattan apartment for a drink in 2013. Ms Breest said that Mr Haggis then subjected her to unwanted advances and ultimately compelled her to perform oral sex and raped her despite her pleas for him to stop.){kind=link}
Filmmaker ordered to pay $7.5 million to Haleigh Breest who was suing him for alleged sexual assault after a screenparty in New York in 2013
Paul Haggis, the Bond writer, attempted to blame the Church of Scientology for framing him as a jury found him liable for damages over rape claims.
Haggis, who co-wrote several of the Bond films, has been ordered to pay $7.5 million (£6.4m) to publicist Haleigh Breest who was suing him for alleged sexual assault after a screenparty in New York in 2013.
Mr Haggis had been a prominent member of the Church of Scientology for years until he left and became an outspoken critic.
Mr Haggis was questioned in the trial about his allegation that the Church of Scientology was behind all of the sexual misconduct allegations against him, highlighting a line from a 2011 New Yorker article about the filmmaker’s break from the religion: “My bet is that, within two years, you’re going to read something about me in a scandal that looks like it has nothing to do with the church.”