In a #MeToo moment, Hollywood figures face season of trials

NEW YORK — The #MeToo movement is having another moment in the spotlight as high-profile sexual assault trials play out in courtrooms from coast to coast. Five years after allegations against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein triggered a wave of sexual misconduct claims in Hollywood and beyond, he and “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson are fighting criminal rape charges at trials down the hall from each other in Los Angeles. “We’re still very early on in this time of reckoning,” said Debra Katz, a Washington-based lawyer who has represented many sexual assault accusers. And I kept saying no.” Haggis’ attorney, meanwhile, said Breest added “lol” — common texting shorthand for laughter — when she mentioned performing oral sex, and that she told the friend she wanted to be alone with Haggis again to “see what happens.” Chaudhry argued that Breest falsely claimed rape to angle for a payout. He slammed it as “a cult” in a 2011 New Yorker article that later informed a book and an HBO documentary, and he foreshadowed that retribution would come in the form of “a scandal that looks like it has nothing to do with the church.” The church, which didn’t respond to a request for comment this week, has repeatedly said Haggis lied about its practices to get attention for himself and his career.