Who are Paul Haggis's wives? Oscar-winning director was 'bankrupt' after previous rape allegations
Paul Haggis has been arrested in Italy on charges of sexual assault on Sunday, June 19. As per the reports, an unidentified woman has pressed the charges against the 69-year-old Oscar-winning director and screenwriter, accusing him of forcing her to engage in sexual intercourse with him in Ostuni for two days. The director is currently there as he was scheduled this week to conduct a few master classes at 'Allora Fest' film festival, alongside Edward Norton and Michael Nozik.
This is not the first accusation Haggis has faced. In past, several women accused him of sexual misconduct. In 2017, publicist Haleigh Breest sued the director and accused him of raping her in New York following a film premiere in 2013. The lawsuit prompted three more women to come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct and assault the following year. However, Haggis denied all the accusations made against him. He was also involved in a high-profile feud with the Church of Scientology after he decided to leave the organization after they alleged public support of Proposition 8, which eliminated the right of same-sex couples to marry in California as per CNN. He wrote a letter to the church's spokesman, Tommy Davis, showing his anger. The letter read, "I called and wrote and implored you, as the official spokesman of the church, to condemn their actions," said the letter, which was first published on a blog run by ex-Scientologist Mark Rathbun. "I told you I could not, in good conscience, be a member of an organization where gay-bashing was tolerated."
RELATED ARTICLES
Paul Haggis arrested: Oscar-winning 'Crash' director accused of sexually assaulting woman in Italy
#MeToo: Where are all the sexual harassers and predators now
Who are Paul Haggis' wives?
The director was married twice in his life. He got married to his first wife, Dianne Christine Gettas, on April 9, 1977. Not much is known about Dianne, who was a nurse as per reports, and their love life. After spending 17 years together, the couple got divorced in 1994. He has three daughters with Dianne.
After the failure of his first marriage, he married actress Deborah Rennard on June 21, 1997. She is well known for her role as Sly Lovegren in the movie, ‘Dallas.’ They spent almost 20 years together and got separated in 2016.
Paul Haggis' net worth
His first main hit was 'Million Dollar Baby', in 2004, which Haggis wrote and produced. In 2008, the director got a new Santa Monica home for a whooping $2.365 million. In 2010, he paid a little under $4 million for a 3,000 square-foot loft apartment in New York City. He previously owned a home in Santa Monica, California, which he bought with his ex-wife Deborah Rennard for $2.6 million. They sold this home in 2010 for $2 million. Haggis, as per reports by Variety in 2021, racked up nearly $2 million in legal bills, according to his motion. He said he had borrowed against his home in Soho and exhausted his savings.