A court in Lecce, Italy dismissed the sexual assault case filed against 69-year-old Hollywood director Paul Haggis on Friday.
Haggis’ lawyer, Michele Laforgia, said the judge presiding over the case found no basis for the court to continue investigating the accusations against Haggis, according to People. The Academy Award-winning director was accused June 20 of having inappropriate sexual relations with an unidentified young woman without consent.
Paul Haggis Sexual Assault Case Dismissed by Italian Court https://t.co/SROpNcbY41
— Variety (@Variety) July 30, 2022
During a July 5 hearing Judge Vilma Gilli of the Court of Brindisi stated there was an “absence of constricting violent behavior” and suggested “the methods of meeting between the suspect and the offended person” were “spontaneous,” People reported.
The judge addressed concerns about what she perceived to be “a complex story that blurs the original judgment expressed in the ordinance which had ordered house arrest,” according to People.
Prosecutors said the alleged victim was “forced to seek medical care” after the reported incident which spanned the course of two days, according to People.
Haggis was originally arrested in Italy after facing allegations that he had forced a “young woman, known by him from some time ago, to submit to sexual relations,” the outlet continued. (RELATED: Rapper Mystikal Arrested For Rape, Domestic Violence)
Last month, Paul Haggis was arrested in Italy on charges of sexual assault after allegedly forcing a “young woman, known by him from some time ago, to submit to sexual relations.” Read more @People https://t.co/zGgjdf2E5a
— Shafiq Najib (@shafiqnajib) July 31, 2022
Prosecutors filed an unsuccessful motion to reinstate his house arrest, according to Variety.
“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,” a statement from Laforgia revealed, according to Variety.
This is not the first time Haggis has faced scrutiny over his interactions with women. He faced allegations of rape and sexual misconduct in 2017 in relation to an alleged 2013 incident that took place after a film premiere, according to People.