Five years ago, allegations surfaced against Kevin Spacey, who was on the Netflix show House of Cards, as the #MeToo movement increased the number of high-profile men facing sexual misconduct accusations.
of BuzzFeed News interview, Anthony Rapp, best known for his role in the musical Rent, said in 1986, when he was 14, Mr. Spacey picked him up, put him on his bed, and laid him on top of him. Forward. “
Rapp told the publication that the encounter happened when the actors were both on Broadway shows and Spacey, who was 26 at the time, invited him to a get-together at his Manhattan apartment. , he said he was able to walk away “writhing”.
Spacey denies this claim.
In 2020, Rapp sued Spacey, accusing him of assault, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress. It was set to begin discussion of the other allegations before a jury of 12 people.
Spacey, who faces sexual assault charges in the UK in a separate case, has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than a dozen men. This is the first time one of his allegations has been brought to trial.
After Rapp was publicly indicted, television and film producers quickly pulled Spacey out of the project. His character was written out of “House of Cards” and was eventually ordered to pay the studio his $31 million for breach of contract. Mr. Rapp is currently on the TV show Star Trek: Discovery.
Spacey, now 63, initially issued a statement saying he did not remember the encounter described by Rapp, now 50, and said: It would have been very inappropriate behavior when drunk. In court documents filed after the lawsuit, Mr. Spacey vehemently denies the incident took place.
What is Mr. Rapp’s side expected to tell the jury?
Rapp had a child role in the 1986 Broadway play Precious Sons. Rapp says Spacey approached him during a rally at his apartment after the others left.
Rupp said in his deposition that he was sitting on his bed watching TV when Spacey took him in his arms. Mr. Spacey then lay on top of him and pressed “the full weight of his body” against him, Rapp said in a deposition.
“I remember being frozen, shocked, upset and scared,” Rapp said.
As he left Spacey’s apartment, Rapp said in a deposition that the elderly actor leaned against the doorway and said, “Do you really want to go?”
Rapp’s attorneys argue that the account constituted assault and that Rapp was suffering from severe emotional distress, including depression and anxiety. They are expected to present evidence for the purpose of showing that Mr. Rapp had told others about meeting Mr. Spacey.
The legal definition of battery is “unreasonably touching another person, without that person’s consent, with the intention of causing physical contact that a reasonably prudent person finds offensive.”
How is Spacey’s side expected to defend the actor?
Spacey’s attorney said in court documents that Spacey met with Rapp several times, but those interactions were “peripheral and limited.” Spacey “categorically denies that any of what plaintiffs said happened,” his attorney said in court documents.
In court proceedings, lawyers are seeking to impeach a witness that Mr. Rapp told them about the encounter, arguing that other events in Mr. Rapp’s life may have caused the emotional distress he cites. There is
Spacey’s attorneys have accused Rapp of filing the allegations for his career interests and public attention.
They also argued that it did not “justify the label” given to them by Mr. Rapp and the press, saying that “as the plaintiffs themselves admitted, no groping, no kissing, no undressing, no clothes.” I never took my clothes off, reached under my clothes, and never made any sexual remarks or innuendos.”
Who is expected to testify?
Rapp’s attorneys are expected to argue that Rapp was not the only victim of Spacey’s sexual misconduct, and Judge Louis A. Kaplan has decided to allow another accuser to testify. Agreed.
The accuser, Andy Holtzman, says Spacey touched his genitals and rubbed Holtzman’s groin in 1981. Mr. Spacey denied Mr. Holtzman’s allegations in his deposition, saying he did not remember dealing with Mr. Holtzman.
Spacey’s attorneys have suggested that Rapp may call witnesses who spoke to him about the allegations, as well as BuzzFeed journalist Adam Vallee, who wrote the original story.
Why can Mr. Rapp bring up this allegation now?
Rapp’s claims are over the statute of limitations, so he’s relying on a law called the Child Victims Act that New York passed in 2019. People who say they were sexually abused because their children could be sued.
Plaintiffs and defense dispute whether the law applies in this case.
Spacey’s attorneys have argued that under the law, plaintiffs can only have their claims reinstated if they constitute a “sexual offense” that violates criminal law, and that Rapp’s allegations do not meet that standard. claim.
Lawyers for Rapp said sexual contact, under the law, could include touching clothing or forcibly hugging the victim, as the client alleges.
What happened to the other legal claims against Mr. Spacey?
Rapp initially sued along with another plaintiff, who was unnamed, alleging that Spacey sexually assaulted him as a teenager after meeting the older actor as an acting coach in the 1980s. A judge ruled that if the plaintiff wanted to continue the trial, he would have to identify himself publicly, which he refused.
In another case, in 2019, Massachusetts prosecutors dropped sexual assault charges after being warned that accusers could face felony charges if they deleted phone evidence. rice field. The man who accused Spacey of fondling himself at a Nantucket restaurant when he was 18 has refused to continue his testimony.
Later that year, another lawsuit in California in which Mr. Spacey accused him of sexually assaulting a massage therapist was dropped after the plaintiff died.
In the UK, Mr Spacey faces four counts of sexual assault and one count of causing a sexual act without consent. He has pleaded not guilty and the trial is set to begin next summer.