After a three-week trial, a jury finds Kevin Spacey not liable for battery against Anthony Rapp. In 2017, Rapp first accused Spacey of sexual assault in a BuzzFeed article that described an incident in which Spacey lifted him up and pinned him down in bed in a sexually aggressive manner. The alleged assault took place in Spacey's New York City apartment in 1986 when he was 26 and Rapp was 14. Rapp formally filed a lawsuit against Spacey in 2020 accusing him of assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Since Rapp first spoke out, an avalanche of abuse allegations has come down against Spacey, including several House of Cards crew members accusing him of sexual harassment and assault. Since these various allegations surfaced, Spacey has largely remained out of the public eye and stepped away from Hollywood. He initially tried to combat the allegations by apologizing to Rapp, blaming the behavior on drunkenness and coming out as gay in the process. This attempt at deflection was met with massive criticism for conflating sexuality with his behavior. The House of Cards star has pleaded not guilty in all the cases brought against him.
Now, after a three-week trial, a New York jury has found that Spacey did not molest Rapp, nor is he liable for battery, according to Variety. After deliberating for nearly two hours, the jury reached a unanimous decision that Rapp's lawyers failed to prove that Spacey touched him sexually or intimately in 1986. Judge Lewis Kaplan formally dismissed the case.
Where Does Kevin Spacey Go From Here?
Spacey winning the lawsuit brought against him by Rapp signifies only a momentary victory for the disgraced actor. Spacey also faces four counts of sexual assault against three men in the United Kingdom where he was the artistic director of the Old Vic theater. He has pled not guilty to those as well. Spacey faces other legal challenges as well, such as being ordered to pay $31 million to the production company MRC for breaching his House of Cards contract.
Amidst all the accusations and legal battles, Spacey is attempting to make a Hollywood comeback. He's recently appeared in some international productions like Franco Nero's The Man Who Drew God and is set to star in 1242 - Gateway To The West, a more high-profile production. Similar to other embattled actors like Johnny Depp who have had major victories in court, it can still be difficult for them to fully restore their reputations to where they were prior to the damning accusations. As always, only time will tell how the recent court decision impacts Kevin Spacey's career.
Source: Variety