Kevin Spacey was cleared of the sexual assault lawsuit

Actor Kevin Spacey (“House of Cards”) has been cleared of sexual assault charges made by actor Anthony Rapp (“Star Trek: Discovery”). The case was tried in New York and reached a conclusion this Thursday (20/10).

The jury in the case found that Rapp’s defense was unable to substantiate claims that Spacey had acted to gratify his sexual desire during a date at a Manhattan party in 1986, when Rapp was only 14 and Spacey was 26. or 27 years old.

The case came to light in 2017, when the BuzzFeed website published an interview with Rapp, in which he recounted what happened. According to the actor, Spacey was drunk and grabbed him at the end of a party with the cast of a comedy, put him on a bed, climbed on top of him and made sexual advances (touching his buttocks).

Rapp sued Spacey for assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress in November 2020. During the trial, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan denied the emotional distress claim but allowed the rest of the lawsuit to proceed.

Anthony Rapp recalled what happened in court, but Spacey denied the allegations, saying he was never able to be alone with the “Star Trek” actor. During his concluding arguments, Rapp’s attorney asked jurors to ignore the memory of Spacey’s events.

“It’s not consistent. It’s not worthy of your belief,” attorney Richard Steigman said, citing alleged gaps in Spacey’s memory of the incident.

Spacey’s attorney Jennifer Keller said Rapp’s story was a fiction. She came up with several theories as to why the actor lied, including a desire for attention and jealousy for Spacey’s success.

“We are here because Mr. Rapp falsely claimed abuse that never occurred at a party that was never held in a room that didn’t exist,” she said. “Mr. Rapp is getting more attention in this process than in his entire life as an actor.”

Keller also urged jurors to ignore the sex policy of the case. “This is not a team sport where you are on the #MeToo side or the other side,” Keller said. “You’re here to judge the facts. Did it happen? No, it didn’t.”

After the ruling, Spacey’s lawyer told the press, along with the plaintiff, that she was “very grateful to the jury for seeing these false allegations.”

Rapp posted a statement on Twitter, saying he was “deeply grateful for the opportunity to have my case heard in front of a jury.” He also thanked “the jury members for their service”.

“Taking this process forward has always been a matter of enlightening, as part of a larger movement, to address all forms of sexual violence,” he added, promising to continue to advocate “a world free from sexual violence of any kind” .

Richard Steigman, Rapp’s attorney, also released a statement reflecting: “Anthony has spoken his truth in court. Even if we respect the jury’s verdict, nothing changes it.”

Despite taking a win, Spacey was accused by more than 20 men of sexual misconduct, a volume so expressive that it put an end to his career, despite having won two Oscars, for “The Usual Suspects” (1995) and “American Beauty. “(1999).

Since Rapp’s initial indictment in 2017, he has been dropped from the “House of Cards” series (as the crew members have advanced their own allegations against him) and has also lost his role in the film “All the Money in the World “(2017). ), having been replaced by Christopher Plummer after the film was ready – filming takes place at an accelerated pace so that the film does not miss the release date.

The actor has already been sentenced to pay $ 31 million in damages to production company MCR for the cancellation of the “House of Cards” series, with the judge on the case finding that his behavior was responsible for Netflix’s decision to ending the award-winning series.

But other accusations made against him ended up failing for various reasons. Two accusers who prosecuted him died before their cases reached the courts. Norwegian writer Ari Behn, former husband of the Princess of Norway, committed suicide at Christmas 2019, three months after the sudden death of a masseuse accusing the actor.

Finally, Spacey had another lawsuit, filed by a boy who was 18 at the time of the harassment, abruptly withdrawn on the eve of the trial.

Thanks to the lack of conviction, Spacey was able to return to acting. He starred in an Italian film, “L’Uomo che Disegnò Diò”, directed and starring star Franco Nero, and played a villain in the low-budget film “Peter Five Eight”, which was brought to the Marché du Film, the Business of the Cannes Film Festival, to obtain international distributors.

But this year, he again faced sexual abuse charges in British justice. He pleaded not guilty in July, at the preliminary hearing of the trial, which will only take place in 2024.

In addition to Spacey, director Paul Haggis (“Crash”), producer Harvey Weinstein (“The Hateful Eight”) and actor Danny Masterson (“That ’70s Show”) are also facing criminal trials for harassment, abuse and violence. sexual. October.

+The best content in your email for free. Choose your favorite Earth Newsletter. Click here!

Source: Terra

Emily

Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.