Los Angeles, Sep 19 (IANS): Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis has filed an appeal against a judgment which dismissed his lawsuit against a woman who accused him of rape.
Haggis' lawyers informed pagesix.com that accuser Haleigh Breest's team "confronted him with a draft complaint containing false and scandalous accusations that they threatened to publicly file unless he paid her $9 million".
So, Haggis submitted an appeal claiming "severe emotional distress".
Breest sued Haggis in December last year, claiming the latter had raped her after she accepted his offer to drive her home following a film premiere in 2013.
Haggis' case was dismissed, but Breest has been allowed to move ahead with a countersuit regarding the alleged assault.
Haggis has denied the claims.