A New York court has dismissed a $40 million lawsuit brought against Kevin Spacey by actor Anthony Rapp.
The civil case was thrown out after a jury found that Anthony failed to prove that Kevin molested him at a party in Manhattan back in 1986.
The actor, now 50, claimed he was 14 at the time of the alleged assault, while Kevin was 26.
In his lawsuit, Rapp accused Spacey of coming into a bedroom where he was watching TV during the party, picking him up, lifting him onto a bed and laying down next to him.
During the alleged incident, Rapp claimed Spacey’s hand “grazed” his buttocks.
In court, the Oscar-winner denied the allegation on the stand and insisted he had never been alone with Rapp.
The verdict followed a three-week trial in New York, and came roughly after two hours of deliberation.
Anthony first spoke out against Kevin back in 2017, which influenced others to come forward with their own allegations against him.
In July of this year, Spacey separately pleaded not guilty to four charges of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent in the UK.
The allegations relate to three men, now in their 30s and 40s, who claim they were assaulted by the former House of Cards star in London and Gloucestershire between 2005 and 2013.
At the time, the actor was the artistic director of the Old Vic theatre in London.
The 62-year-old entered his plea at the Central Criminal Court in London on July 14, before Mr Justice Wall.
The actor, who has strenuously denied the allegations, remains on unconditional bail.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) authorised the charges against Spacey in May, however he wasn’t formally charged until he travelled to the UK in June.
During his last court hearing, Kevin’s lawyer, Patrick Gibbs QC, said: “Mr Spacey strenuously denies any and all criminality in this case.”
He also said the actor had returned to the UK “to establish his innocence” and “proceed with his life”.
The charges against Kevin are:
- Two counts of sexual assault on a man, who is now in his 40s, in March 2005 in London. Sexual assault on a man, who is now in his 30s, and causing him to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent, in August 2008 in London.
- Sexual assault on a man, now in his 30s, in April 2013 in Gloucestershire.
- The most serious charge of causing a man to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent is an indictable-only offence, meaning it can only be tried in Crown Court.
