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The plaintiff in the lawsuit, filed Dec. 15 in Manhattan, is identified in court papers as Haleigh Breest. The other three women subsequently came forward to Breest’s New York attorneys. They spoke to the AP on the condition that they not be identified for fear of retribution. The

AP generally does not identify people who say they were the victims of sexual assault.

Photo by AP Photo/Chris Weeks, File

In separate interviews with the AP, the three new accusers provided detailed accounts of encounters they say occurred between 1996 and 2015.

The women were early in their careers in the entertainment business when, they say, the Hollywood heavyweight lured them to private or semi-private places under the guise of discussing productions or a subject of a professional nature.

They all said Haggis first tried to kiss them. In two of the cases, they said, when they fought back, Haggis escalated his aggression.

The new rape accuser said she was a 28-year-old publicist working on a television show being produced by Haggis in 1996 when he called to ask to review photos from the show that night in her office.

“I thought it was odd, but I agreed. He was the ultimate boss. I didn’t feel inclined to say no,” she said.

When Haggis arrived, she said, everyone else had left the office for the night and he insisted they speak in a back office. She said Haggis began kissing her as soon as they walked into the room.

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“I just pulled away. He was just glaring at me and came at me again. I was really resisting. He said to me, ’Do you really want to continue working?”’ the woman said. “And then he really forced himself on me. I was just numb. I didn’t know what to do.”