A federal jury in Manhattan ruled on Thursday after actor Anthony Rapp sued Kevin Spacey for sexually advancing on him in 1986, when Rapp was 14. It was decided that Mr. Spacey was not responsible.
Rapp’s claims were one of the most prominent early in the #MeToo movement. The accuser began making allegations against a prominent man in the worlds of entertainment, politics and business. Mr. Spacey, the acclaimed actor who starred in the political drama House of Cards and hosted the Tony Awards just a few months ago, soon experienced a career blow.
Disclosure by Mr. Rapp BuzzFeed news published More than a dozen sexual misconduct accusations against Spacey followed in October 2017. He has pleaded not guilty to a sexual assault charge in the UK, and outside court on Thursday, one of his lawyers, Jennifer L. Keller, said he was not guilty of all charges. said it would be proven.
A civil trial to consider Mr. Rapp’s battery claims hinged on his account on the night of 1986. Mr. Rapp attended a party at Mr. Spacey’s New York apartment during the Broadway season. Mr. Spacey, who was 26 at the time, denied having such an encounter.
After deliberating for less than an hour and a half, an 11-member jury in the United States District Court in Manhattan ruled in Spacey’s favor. I posed a question that casts doubt on my memory of the event, over 36 years ago.
After the verdict, Mr. Spacey stood with tears in his eyes and hugged his lawyer. He remained silent as he left court, but Keller told reporters, “I’m just grateful that the jury saw the truth.”
Mr. Rapp has responded bluntly to the decision. In a statement later posted on Twitter, Rapp said he was “deeply grateful” for the opportunity to hear his case before a jury.
“Bringing this lawsuit has always been to shine a light,” the statement said, adding that it was “as part of a larger movement against all forms of sexual violence.”
Rapp, the “Star Trek: Discovery” actor and best known for his first role in the musical “Rent,” filed his claims under New York state law, the Child Victims Act. The law included a temporary “back-view” window in which old claims that had already expired could be reinstated.
A jury determined that there was not enough evidence to prove that Mr. Spacey touched one of Mr. Rapp’s “sexual or intimate” parts. He testified that one hand “grazed” his buttocks.
Rapp’s lawyers presented testimony from three men that Rapp told them about meeting Spacey in the mid-1990s or earlier. The defense highlighted the discrepancies, pointing out the ambiguity of his account and saying that Mr Rapp, 50, failed to provide independent corroboration of the night gathering he said the encounter had taken place. emphasized. Midway through the trial, Judge Louis A. Kaplan dismissed the 63-year-old Spacey’s claim that he intentionally inflicted emotional distress.
“There is no evidence that this happened, and there is plenty of evidence that it did not,” Keller said in closing arguments.
In the spring of 1986, Mr. Rapp appeared as a teenage actor in the play “Precious Sons,” and Mr. Spacey was in the cast of “Long Days Journey Into Night.” Actors were in a position to testify. ”
Rapp testified that during Spacey’s party, he didn’t know the other guests, so he retired to his bedroom to watch late-night TV. After the party was over, Rapp testified.
“Now I realize something is really wrong,” Rapp said, recalling the feeling of being frozen in place.
He testified that he was able to wriggle out from under Mr. Spacey, who appeared to be intoxicated, and escape to a nearby restroom. Mr. Rapp recalled Mr. Spacey saying, “Do you really want to move out?” before leaving the apartment.
Defense attorneys allege that Rapp fabricated the allegations to draw attention to himself and his career, which Mr. Rapp denied.
“Does he look like he’s enjoying this attention?” Mr. Rupp’s attorney, Mr. Steigman, said in closing arguments. “He’s doing this to hold Kevin Spacey accountable.”
Despite Rapp’s apology shortly after making the allegations public, Spacey testified that he never met Rapp, was never alone with Rapp, and was seen in his apartment. He testified that he never threw a party. Rap commentary.
Spacey remembers Rapp and his friends attending a performance of “Long Day’s Journey,” after which Spacey invited them to dinner, then to a nightclub, and then back to his apartment. said there is. .
Spacey said he flirted with Rapp’s friend John Barrowman, who was 19 at the time. Back at Mr. Spacey’s apartment, Mr. Rapp gently pushed Mr. Barrowman back to bed as he went to the bathroom. Spacey said Rapp felt too young to see them in a romantic situation, and the two men got up when Rapp returned.
Mr Spacey testified that he had “no interest in Mr Rapp’s participation”.
Mr. Rapp testified that it was the second time he had seen Mr. Spacey the night they all went to a nightclub and did not return to his apartment. Mr. Spacey, like Mr. Spacey, recalled the sequence of events that night in a videotaped deposition.
Rapp called his encounter with Spacey the most traumatic event of his life. Mr. Rapp later testified about when Mr. Spacey appeared on the screen. In movies like “American Beauty” and “Working Girl.”
Spacey’s lawyers say Rapp’s envy of Spacey’s career and frustration with Spacey’s lack of publicity about her relationships with men motivated Rapp to fabricate the accusations. suggested through
Mr. Rapp denied these motives and claimed that he had belatedly come forward to seek justice for himself. He admitted that he could have been wrong about some details, such as what was done.
Spacey’s attorney also questioned Rapp about the similarities between his description and a staging moment in “Precious Sons.” In the play, Mr. Rapp’s father character, played by Ed Harris, held Mr. Rapp’s character in the same way Mr. Spacey held him. Mr. Harris also rode Rapp twice during the play.
Rupp said the staging was done “with care and consent,” dismissing the notion that there was any connection.
Mr. Rapp’s attorneys pointed to Mr. Spacey’s initial reaction to Mr. Rapp’s accusations, pointing to as corroborative evidence for their client that Mr. Spacey did not categorically deny the meeting. In a statement posted by Spacey After the BuzzFeed article, he said he had no recollection of the encounter, saying, “But if he behaved as he described, I owe him a sincere apology for his highly inappropriate drunken behavior.
In his testimony, Spacey said he regretted making the apology and feared people would call him a “victim accuser” if Spacey outright denied the allegations. said that it was thanks to
Spacey testified, “I learned my lesson.”
Another accuser, Andy Holtzman, testified during the trial that Spacey touched him in his office in 1981, when Holtzman was 27 and Spacey was several years younger. Spacey denied it. The other charges were not discussed before the jury, and Judge Kaplan instructed the jury to ignore two instances in which Rapp alluded to other allegations against Spacey during his testimony.
Mr. Spacey, who won two Oscars and one Tony, lost a major role as a result of sexual misconduct allegations against him, and an arbitrator ordered him to pay $31 million to the “House of Cards” studio for breach of contract. ordered to pay
But Thursday’s jury verdict adds to Spacey’s list of legal victories. When a judge ruled that he needed to identify himself publicly, he decided not to continue his case.
“The next step is to prove that Kevin Spacey is innocent of all the charges against him,” Keller said outside court on Thursday.