Film-maker Paul Haggis arrested over sexual assault allegations in Italy

Authorities detained Oscar-winning film director Paul Haggis on Sunday in connection with allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman in southern Italy, Italian news media said, quoting local prosecutors.

Haggis is a director, producer and screenwriter. He won an Oscar in 2006 for best original screenplay for Crash. He subsequently wrote screenplays for Million Dollar Baby, the James Bond installments Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale, as well as directing In the Valley of Elah and The Next Three Days.

He was previously a prominent Scientologist and has written about his process of escaping the organization.

Paul Haggis was previously accused in the US of sexual misconduct by four women, including two allegations of rape, in 2018. In that case, which has yet to come to court, the director was originally the subject of a lawsuit from a publicist who claimed he raped her. Three other women have come forward with accusations.