Jurors boost payout against screenwriter

Oscar-winning screenwriter Paul Haggis was ordered yesterday to pay an additional US$2.5 million (NZ$4.1 million) in damages in a rape lawsuit, bringing the total to US$10 million for a woman who said he sexually assaulted her nearly a decade ago. Jurors decided on the additional, punitive damages after hearing testimony about Haggis’ finances. The same jury had already found that Haggis raped publicist Haleigh Breest and forced her to perform oral sex in his New York apartment on January 31, 2013. He says they had a consensual encounter.