'Crash' Director NYC Rape Trial Begins, He Says Scientology Framed Him

NEW YORK CITY — The outcome of a long-awaited rape trial against "Crash" director Paul Haggis could hinge on one question: is the Oscar winner a sexual predator or was he framed by the Church of Scientology?

Haggis will stand trial starting Wednesday in a New York City civil courtroom after a years-long, acrimonious court battle, records show.

A woman who worked as a publicist filed a lawsuit nearly five years ago that accused Haggis, who also won an Academy Award for writing "Million Dollar Baby," of raping her inside his SoHo apartment in 2013, according to civil court records.

Her graphic account, as detailed in a court filing, accuses of Haggis of menacing her before a prolonged sexual assault.

"You're scared of me, aren't you?" he's accused of telling before the rape, according to court documents.

But Haggis, who faces additional sexual assault accusations from four other women, has spent the years since the lawsuit was filed fiercely contesting his accuser's account.

Haggis has argued that the Church of Scientology — which he left in 2009 and has since become a high-profile critic of — is somehow behind the accusations.

The Hollywood director is among eight former Scientology members to speak out against the organization in the 2015 HBO documentary, "Going Clear."

In a court filing, Haggis argued the Church has a "vendetta" against him.

"He is the most public enemy of a notorious, nefarious, powerful, and well-funded institution which is known to destroy its detractors," the filing states. "The Church views Haggis as Iran views Salman Rushdie."

Attorneys for the woman deny she has any connection to Scientology. Instead, they argue that Haggis is a hypocritical sexual predator who positioned himself as a champion of women.

The woman, in her first court filing, noted that Haggis condemned disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

"I mean, he was a predator and a predator is a predator," Haggis was quoted in the filing. "But what about those who would rather look the other way?"

Haggis' words "shocked and outraged" the woman, according to the court filing.

"The truth she knows and has lived is that behind the facade of these comments lies another predator, a man willing to force himself on a young woman less than half his age and take pleasure in the fear and pain he caused her," the documents states.

A judge ultimately ruled that Haggis could present evidence about the Church of Scientology, but the director cannot mention that he tried to bring an extortion complaint against her to Manhattan prosecutors.