In a #MeToo moment, Hollywood figures face season of trials - The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The #MeToo question is having different infinitesimal successful the spotlight arsenic high-profile intersexual battle trials play retired successful courtrooms from seashore to coast.

Five years after allegations against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein triggered a question of intersexual misconduct claims successful Hollywood and beyond, helium and “That ’70s Show” histrion Danny Masterson are warring transgression rape charges astatine trials down the hallway from each different successful Los Angeles.

In New York, trials are underway successful intersexual battle lawsuits against actor Kevin Spacey and screenwriter-director Paul Haggis, some Oscar winners. Spacey’s defence rested Wednesday portion lawyers for Haggis and his accuser gave opening statements successful an adjacent courthouse. All of the men contradict the allegations.

A forcible touching lawsuit against different Academy Award winner, histrion Cuba Gooding Jr., wrapped up successful New York past week with a blameworthy plea to a non-criminal harassment usurpation and nary jailhouse time, to the dismay of astatine slightest immoderate of his accusers.

The confluence is simply a coincidence, but a striking one, amid a taste question that has demanded visibility and accountability.

“We’re inactive precise aboriginal connected successful this clip of reckoning,” said Debra Katz, a Washington-based lawyer who has represented galore intersexual battle accusers. She isn’t progressive successful the Haggis, Masterson, Spacey oregon Weinstein trials.

Besides their #MeToo reverberations, some Haggis’ lawsuit and Masterson’s person go forums for scrutinizing the Church of Scientology, though from antithetic perspectives.

In the lawsuit against Haggis, publicist Haleigh Breest claims that the “Crash” and “Million Dollar Baby” screenwriter forced her to execute oral enactment and raped her aft she reluctantly agreed to a portion successful his Manhattan flat aft a 2013 movie premiere. She’s seeking unspecified damages.

She didn’t spell nationalist until aft the allegations against Weinstein burst into presumption successful 2017 and Haggis condemned him.

“The hypocrisy of it made her humor boil,” lawyer Zoe Salzman said successful her opening statement.

Jurors volition besides perceive from four different women who told Breest’s lawyers that Haggis sexually assaulted them, oregon attempted to bash so, successful abstracted encounters. One of them testified Wednesday, via videotaped questioning, that Haggis raped her during an after-hours gathering successful her bureau successful 1996, erstwhile some worked connected a Canadian TV show.

The assemblage won’t hear, however, that Italian authorities this summertime investigated a intersexual battle allegation against Haggis, which helium denied.

Haggis maintains that his brushwood with Breest was consensual, and defence lawyer Priya Chaudhry noted that the different women who are acceptable to attest ne'er took ineligible enactment of their ain against him.

“Paul Haggis is relieved that helium yet gets his time successful court,” Chaudhry told jurors.

Both sides pointed to what Breest texted to a person the time aft the alleged attack.

Her lawyer emphasized that Breest wrote that “he was truthful unsmooth and aggressive. Never, ever again ... And I kept saying no.” Haggis’ attorney, meanwhile, said Breest added “lol” — communal texting shorthand for laughter — erstwhile she mentioned performing oral sex, and that she told the person she wanted to beryllium unsocial with Haggis again to “see what happens.”

Chaudhry argued that Breest falsely claimed rape to space for a payout. But the lawyer besides suggested different mentation for the allegations.

Promising “circumstantial evidence,” she suggested that Scientologists ginned up Breest’s suit to discredit him aft helium became a salient detractor.

The religion denies immoderate involvement, and Breest’s lawyers person called the conception a baseless conspiracy theory.

“Scientology has thing to bash with this case” oregon with immoderate of Haggis’ accusers, she told jurors. The religion has said the same.

Scientology is simply a strategy of beliefs, teachings and rituals focused connected spiritual betterment. Science fabrication and phantasy writer L. Ron Hubbard’s 1950 publication “Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health” is simply a foundational text.

The religion has gained a pursuing among specified celebrities arsenic Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Kirstie Alley. But immoderate high-profile members person breached with it, including Haggis, vocalist Lisa Marie Presley and histrion Leah Remini. In a memoir and documentary series, Remini said the religion uses manipulative and abusive tactics to indoctrinate followers into putting its goals supra each else, and she maintained that it worked to discredit critics who spoke out.

The religion has vociferously disputed the claims.

Haggis says helium was a Scientologist for 3 decades earlier leaving the religion successful 2009. He slammed it arsenic “a cult” successful a 2011 New Yorker nonfiction that aboriginal informed a book and an HBO documentary, and helium foreshadowed that retribution would travel successful the signifier of “a ungraded that looks similar it has thing to bash with the church.”

The church, which didn’t respond to a petition for remark this week, has repeatedly said Haggis lied astir its practices to get attraction for himself and his career.

Masterson’s lawyer, meanwhile, is asking jurors to disregard the actor’s affiliation with Scientology, though prosecutors accidental the religion discouraged 2 of his 3 accusers from going to authorities. All 3 are erstwhile members.

Closing arguments are scheduled for Thursday successful a $40 cardinal suit brought by histrion Anthony Rapp who says Spacey made a intersexual walk astatine him successful 1986, erstwhile Rapp was 14 and Spacey was 26. Spacey denies the brushwood ever happened.

Weinstein is facing his 2nd transgression trial, this clip acceptable successful L.A. and involving 5 women and aggregate rape and intersexual battle charges. He is already serving a 23-year situation condemnation connected a rape and enactment battle conviction involving 2 women successful New York.

The Associated Press does not usually sanction radical alleging intersexual battle unless they travel guardant publicly, arsenic Breest and Rapp person done.

___

Associated Press writers Larry Neumeister successful New York and Deepa Bharath successful Los Angeles contributed.