Hollywood veteran Kevin Spacey has emerged victorious in the sexual battery lawsuit Anthony Rapp filed against him.
Rapp had alleged in the suit that the “House of Cards” star invited her to a party at his New York home in 1986 and made moves to molest her. The incident is said to have happened when Rapp was still a teenager and Spacey was fully grown.
On Thursday, a New York jury found Spacey not guilty of the charges, and the case was dismissed. The actor still faces prosecution in the UK for sexually abusing three men while living in London and serving as creative director of the Old Vic theatre.
Read on to learn more.
Kevin Spacey Beats Anthony Rapp In Court
MEGA
Spacey has been embroiled in a $40 million civil lawsuit with Rapp since 2020 after complainants sued the actor for sexually assaulting her as a teenager along with battery claims.
However, on October 20, 2022, a New York jury of five men and six women found the “House of Cards” star not guilty of the charges.
follow Diversity, the decision came after about 80 minutes of deliberations, after which the presiding judge, Lewis Kaplan, formally dismissed the case. Spacey’s head bowed slightly when he heard the decision. Afterwards, he got up and gave Chase Scolnick, a member of the legal team, a bear hug.
Instead, Rapp remained unfazed when the verdict was announced, and his lawyers looked defeated as they left the Manhattan courthouse.
The “Star Trek: Discovery” star was one of the most prominent accusers of sexual assault against Spacey in the early days of the #MeToo movement, which tarnished the “House Of Cards” actor’s illustrious screen and stage career.
Kevin Spacey’s Lawyer Calls Anthony Rapp’s Claim ‘False’
MEGA
Spacey did not comment to the press after the verdict, leaving the courtroom flanked by his bodyguards before driving off in his SUV. However, his lawyer Jennifer Keller issued a statement criticizing Rapp’s previous claims.
He said, per Diversity, “I am very grateful to the jury for seeing through these false allegations.” Likewise, Rapp made a statement about Twitterthough he didn’t share his true feelings about how the decision turned out.
She wrote, “Bringing this lawsuit has always been about shining a light, as part of a larger movement against all forms of sexual violence,” she wrote. “I promise to continue to support efforts to ensure that we can live and work in a world free from any form of sexual violence. I sincerely hope that survivors continue to tell their stories and fight for accountability.”
How Alleged Sexual Battery Incidents Occur
MEGA
Rapp’s allegations first came to light when he wrote in a 2017 BuzzFeed article about his meeting with Spacey.
In the publication, Rapp claims that the incident occurred in 1986 after he met Spacey backstage during a Broadway production. The couple hung out with friends after the initial meeting, and Spacey later invited Rapp to his residence for a party.
During the celebration, the two ended up in Spacey’s room, where the Oscar-winning actor reportedly took Rapp to his bed and held him in a sexually aggressive manner. At the time, Spacey was 26 years old, and Rapp was 14 years old.
After the initial accusations, Spacey issued a “sincere apology” for what he labeled as “grossly inappropriate drunken behavior.” In court, Spacey, however, said he was pressured by his publicist to make the statement, saying he regretted apologizing for something he “didn’t do.”
Anthony Rapp Case Collapses
MEGA
During the proceedings, Spacey’s lawyers focused on inconsistencies in Rapp’s testimony. For example, they pointed out that Rapp claimed Spacey had a separate bedroom, despite the fact that floor plans presented as evidence revealed the actor lived in a studio apartment with a single central room.
As reported by Diversity, they said that Rapp held a grudge against Spacey for not coming out as gay and was jealous of the actor’s more successful Hollywood career. The legal team apparently referenced Spacey’s features in several hit series and movies over Rapp, whose filmography does not have the same status.
Despite Spacey’s recent court win against Rapp, the embattled actor’s problems are far from over. He still has outstanding charges against him in the UK for allegedly sexually assaulting a trio of men while living in London and working as creative director of the Old Vic theatre. He has since pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
