A New York jury has sided with Kevin Spacey in a $40 million civil lawsuit, finding the Oscar-winning actor did not molest Anthony Rapp as a teenager and is not responsible for the battery. After roughly 80 minutes of deliberations, jurors reached a unanimous decision that Rapp’s lawyers had failed to prove that Spacey “had touched a sexual or intimate part” of Rapp.
Rapp appeared unmoved as Judge Lewis Kaplan formally dismissed the case and Spacey briefly hung his head. He later stood up and hugged Chase Scolnick, a member of his legal team.
Rapp first made his claims in a 2017 BuzzFeed article, in which he said Spacey picked him up, placed him on the bed and pinned him to Rapp in a sexually aggressive manner. The alleged assault took place after a party at Spacey’s New York apartment in 1986. Rapp was 14 at the time and Spacey 26. The two met while appearing in Broadway productions: Rapp in “Precious Sounds” with Ed Harris, Spacey. in a Jack Lemmon-directed revival of “Long Days Journey Into Night.” In court, Rapp described the event as one of the “most traumatic” of his life.
But Spacey’s lawyers seized on inconsistencies in Rapp’s testimony. They noted, for example, that Rapp described Spacey as having a separate bedroom, when a floor plan they produced showed the actor living in a studio with a central room. “The star witness in our case was the plant,” Jennifer Keller, Spacey’s attorney, said in closing statements Thursday.
They also argued that Rapp was upset that Spacey was not openly gay and was consumed with jealousy over the actor’s higher career in Hollywood. Rapp starred in the original Broadway production of “Rent” and appears in “Star Trek: Discovery.” Spacey appeared in hit movies like “American Beauty” and “LA Confidential” as well as the Netflix series “House of Cards.”
In their closing arguments, Rapp’s side argued that Spacey was a sexual predator who had taken advantage of a child. “[Kevin Spacey] he can’t control his sexual urges when they arise,” said Richard Steigman, one of the attorneys on Rapp’s team.
Rapp’s side was dealt a blow earlier this week when Judge Kaplan ordered an emotional distress claim dropped from the case, declaring it redundant.
Although Spacey won a victory against Rapp, he still faces legal challenges. “House of Cards” producer MRC has been ordered to pay $31 million in damages after the political thriller had its episode order pulled in the wake of abuse allegations against the star. Spacey also faces charges in the UK for sexually assaulting three men when he was living in London as artistic director of the Old Vic theatre. He has pleaded not guilty.
When Rapp went public with his claims in 2017, Spacey was contrite and offered “the sincerest apology for what would have been profoundly inappropriate drunken behavior.” In court, Spacey said he was pressured by his publicist to make that statement.
“They encouraged me to ask for forgiveness and I’ve learned a lesson, which is never to apologize for something you didn’t do,” Spacey stated. “I regret my entire statement.”