By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell book
BBC - Honduras - CIA Trial book - NY Mag
NY COURT 60 CENTRE ST, Nov 4 – Paul Haggis of "Crash" fame was on the witness stand in New York State Supreme Court on November 4, and Inner City Press was there, live tweeting:
Haggis' lawyer Priya Chaudhry: How many cinema society events have you been invited to?
Haggis: Hundreds. I went to one third, maybe.
Haggis' lawyer: Why did you attend the "Side Effects" event?
Haggis: I had to speak to Jude Law.
Haggis' lawyer: How would you describe the signals Ms. Breest was sending you?
Haggis: She was into it. Very into it.
Haggis' lawyer: What about Ms. Breest's email to you while you were in Italy?
Haggis: She was asking about an actor being added to the cast.
Haggis' lawyer: When you got into the car, was there touching? Breest's lawyer: Objection! Judge: Overruled. Haggis: Yes
Haggis' lawyer: How did you interpret Ms. Breest saying she wouldn't sleep over? Haggis: That she'd have sex, but not stay over. Haggis' lawyer: How many fire escapes do you have? Haggis: Two.
Haggis' lawyer: Did you use the word f*cking that night?
Haggis: Sure
Haggis' lawyer: What was Ms. Breest's response to you saying "f*cking"? Haggis: Oh, you're asking about me saying f*cking? I might have said a restaurant was f*cking amazing. I didn't mean to be derogatory when I caller her coy
Breest's lawyer: Non responsive!
Haggis' lawyer: What was your tone and demeanor when you asked, You're afraid of me, aren't you? Haggis: Uh, curious... Sometimes she was stop kissing, step back and have a glass of wine. I couldn't figure out what was going on. I offered to put her in a taxi.
Haggis [9/26/19 deposition being played] - "She's coming back to kiss me. I was confused... She started laughing, pulling back up her tights. Squiggly. Like, squirming. She said, I don't want you to see me, I'm fat. I said she's adorable, I turned off the lamp.
Haggis: I found the right button. I dimmed the lights. I pulled down her tights. Haggis' lawyer: Did she say no? Haggis: Like, no, I don't want you to see me, I'm fat. "She did not say no in the way one means no. Her no was qualified."
Haggis' lawyer: Did Ms. Breest ask for a condom before your p*enis was in her mouth? Haggis: I don't know why one would.
Haggis' lawyer: Have you ever said, Put my d*ck in your mouth? Haggis: Yes I have.
Haggis' lawyer: Ever use lube? Haggis: Once. With Deborah. Q: Do you enjoy an*l sex? Haggis: As compared to what? Not as much as regular sex. Haggis' lawyer: Was that true? Haggis: Yes.
Haggis' lawyer: What stood out about the evening? Haggis: The oddness and the oral sex, very pleasurable
Haggis' lawyer: How many sexual partners have you had? Haggis: Several dozen. [Surreally, during the answers the sounds of cheering from out on Foley Square wafts in through the tall windows of the 4th floor courtroom]
Haggis' lawyer: You've seen the photo of yourself and Nick Hunt? Haggis: Yes. I told Andrew Sanford not to post photos of me. Haggis' lawyer: Your tweet about Harvey Weinstein....
Haggis' lawyer: Did you pay Ms. Renard to write a letter in your support? Haggis: No (sobbing) she's amazing. Breest's lawyer: Objection, non-responsive.
Haggis: She said, you don't need to pay me anymore --
Breest's lawyer: Move to strike.
Judge Sabrina Kraus: Granted.
Haggis' lawyer: What if any involvement does Mr. Cruise have in Scientology? Haggis: Everyone knows. He believes himself to be the 2d most important person in Scientology-
Breest's lawyer: Objection. Beyond the scope. Irrelevant.
Judge: Denied. The answer stands
Haggis' lawyer: When did you become aware that Mary Kitchen accuses you of saying, I need to be inside you? Haggis: They were working together. Haggis' lawyer: You said when a woman turns away from your kiss it doesn't mean no Haggis: It might mean, it's too early
Email shown, request made to Haggis to write a letter to UN Immigration for Mary Kitchen.
Haggis: She was asking me to lie. And I won't do that. I told Gian Sardar my assistant to change the language. She asked me for a deal memo, a sort of pre-contract
Haggis: I put "For Her" on the deal mom; it was later "The Next Three Days." Haggis' lawyer: What is a back story? Haggis: For minor characters you don't even have one. Haggis' lawyer: In this text, Jacinta Kuznetsov running to see you. Haggis: Yeah. Pretty cool.
Haggis lawyer: Where were you when you joined Scientology? Haggis: Canada. Haggis' lawyer: And where are the four Jane Does in this case from? Haggis: Canada
Haggis: I wanted to be a good man. I wasn't ready for a second marriage. [Voice cracks] Haggis' lawyer: Are you referring to sexually assaulting anyone? Haggis: No.
Haggis' lawyer: No further question. Passing the witness. Judge: No more passing. You can go.
Next witness is Haggis' long time (23 yr) assistant, nom de plume Gian Sardar (we'll call her that). Gian Sardar: Since 2010 I work for him from LA, while he's in NY. Q: Any problems with him as a boss? Sardar: Not really. People like him. He's a little flirty
Q: Haleigh Breest claims he forced himself on her sexually. Do you believe it? Gian Sardar: No. Haggis' 2d lawyer: Let's talk about these emails with Mary Kitchen-- Judge: No, we've heard about these already.
Haggis' 2d lawyer: Following Mr. Haggis leaving Scientology, do you have contact with them? Gian Sardar: They didn't want him to leave. It was nerve-wracking. Haggis' 2d lawyer: And during his marriage to Ms. Renard-- Gian Sardar: He has some consensual affairs.
Cross examination. Breest's lawyer: Mr. Haggis is a good writer, right? Gian Sardar: He's a writer. Breest's lawyer: He's a master story teller... Let me know you DX 28 [It's Mary Kitchen, about the visa application]
Breest's lawyer: Let me know show where he tells Mary Kitchen he's "fucking intrigued." And this e-mail, where he asks, "You still freaked out, he asked, smiling wickedly" - did you see this? Gian Sardar: No. Breest's lawyer: So you don't see all of his emails
Breest's lawyer: What's you salary from Mr. Haggis? Gian Sardar: It's very little... Like $30,000. Breest's lawyer: Were you aware Mr. Haggis had 20 affairs? [At defense table, Haggis smiles or smirks while whispering to his Number 1 Lawyer]
Judge Kraus: We're done for the day. But we won't be done Monday.
Note: Inner City Press readers may remember Priya Chaudhry from the guilty plea of RHOSLC's Jen Shah, which Inner City Press covered here and here and here.
To be continued.
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