Michele Laforgia told The Associated Press that Haggis, who is also an Oscar-winning screenwriter, was still in Italy. The decision was made by Judge Vilma Gilli in Puglia, which is the region that forms the “heel” of the Italian peninsula. Haggis, 69, was arrested by police on June 19 in Puglia after a woman told authorities he had non-consensual sex with her for two days while in Italy to attend an art festival in the tourist town of Ostuni. He had pleaded not guilty, according to the lawyer. Laforya said in text messages that the judge had ruled that no signs of violence or abuse had been found on the woman. Italian media reported the woman as 28 years old and British, while prosecutors described her only as young and foreign. The courthouse was closed Monday afternoon and Gilli could not immediately be reached for comment.
An “absence of restrictive violent conduct”: judge
Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, citing the judge’s decision, reported that Gilly concluded there was an “absence of restrictive violent behavior” by Haggis. The judge also noted in the judgment that the woman’s decision to be with Haggis at his accommodation was “spontaneous”. It was Gilli who on June 22, following a closed-door hearing, ordered Haggis to remain in custody while the investigation continued. Prosecutors did not immediately say whether they would move to drop the investigation or continue it after the judge’s ruling. Asked if the case could be closed, Laforya replied “we’ll see what the prosecution does at this point.” Haggis, who resides in the United States, has had other legal problems. In recent years, four women in the United States have reported sexual misconduct by him.
