An Italian judge on Friday ruled there are no grounds to pursue an investigation into allegations that Academy Award-winning screenwriter Paul Haggis sexually assaulted a woman.
The judge, in the southern city of Lecce, ruled in favor of the Canadian-born Haggis, 69, the Italian news agency ANSA reported on Saturday.
Haggis, who won two Oscars in 2006 for “Crash” and also wrote the screenplay for Clint Eastwood’s 2004 film, “Million Dollar Baby,” was arrested on June 19 in Ostuni, where he was attending the inaugural Allora film festival, according to The Hollywood Reporter. A 28-year-old British woman accused Haggis of forcing her to have sex with him over the course of two days.
Haggis spent 16 days under house arrest in his hotel before he was released, the entertainment news outlet reported.
“After viewing the evidence and hearing arguments from both sides, the District Court of Lecce, an appellate court with three judges, unanimously rejected a prosecutor’s appeal to have Haggis’ house arrest reinstated,” Haggis’ attorney in Italy, Michele Laforgia, said in a statement on Saturday.
“Two weeks ago, Judge Vilma Gilli of the Court of Brindisi questioned the alleged victim and then immediately overturned Haggis’ house arrest,” Laforgia added in his statement.
Prosecutors in Brindisi appealed Gilli’s decision, which was upheld Friday, according to Variety.
[ Reports: Oscar-winning screenwriter Paul Haggis detained in Italy in sexual assault case ]
Haggis has denied the allegations, Deadline reported. In an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica in mid-July, Haggis said his biggest mistake had been to invite someone he hardly knew to join him.
There was no immediate comment from the alleged victim’s legal team, the website reported.
Haggis was sued in 2018 by a publicist, who alleged that he had violently raped her after a premiere in 2013, Variety reported.
Haggis denied the original rape allegation in a counter-complaint to the lawsuit and said the accuser and her lawyer had demanded a $9 million payment to avoid legal action, the AP reported.
A trial date for that case is scheduled for Oct. 11 in New York City, Variety reported.