Home ›› 22 Oct 2022 ›› Show Biz
A New York court on Thursday dismissed a $40 million sexual misconduct lawsuit brought against Kevin Spacey by an actor who claimed the Hollywood star targeted him when he was 14.
A jury found that Anthony Rapp, who was seeking damages for “emotional anguish,” failed to prove that the two-time Oscar winner had “touched a sexual or intimate body part,” leading Judge Lewis Kaplan to dismiss the civil case.
After deliberating for about an hour “the jury found the defendant not liable,” according to the US district court for the Southern District of New York.
The 63-year-old star of ‘The Usual Suspects’ and ‘House of Cards’ was seen leaving court soon after the verdict was announced, without addressing reporters.
Since Rapp’s accusations first emerged in 2017, Spacey has disappeared from screens and theatres.
The ‘American Beauty’ star took the stand repeatedly in New York to deny Rapp’s account of events, saying he had no recollection of attending the party in question with him.
At the time of Rapp’s accusations, Spacey came out publicly as gay for the first time, which he said led to charges he was “trying to change the subject, or trying to deflect.”
During cross-examination in New York, Spacey described a troubled family past, with a father he described as a “white supremacist” and a “neo-Nazi,” who disliked gay people and did not appreciate his son’s interest in the theatre.
Spacey said Rapp’s accusations made him feel “shocked, frightened and confused” and that urged by his advisors he issued a public apology which he said he now regrets.
