Kevin Spacey does not have to pay actor Anthony Rapp damages: A jury acquits the “House of Cards” star of sexual harassment allegations due to lack of evidence.
Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey has been acquitted of sexual harassment charges in a civil trial. A jury in New York ruled after a brief deliberation that actor Anthony Rapp ("Star Trek: Discovery") could not prove that Spacey had touched him on a "sexual or intimate part of the body" more than 35 years ago when he was 14. Rapp's claim for damages of 40 million dollars (almost 41 million euros) against the two-time Oscar winner was rejected.
The 50-year-old Rapp accused Spacey, known from films such as "The Usual Suspects" and "American Beauty" as well as the hit Netflix series "House of Cards", of sexually harassing him at a party in Manhattan in 1986. Accordingly, the then 26-year-old Spacey grabbed his butt, later he lifted him onto a bed and lay on him. Spacey has firmly denied the allegations. During the civil trial, the 63-year-old said the allegations were "not true".
Rapp had at the end of October 2017 and thus shortly after the beginning of the
Rapp filed a criminal complaint against Spacey in 2020 alleging sexual assault, but a judge dismissed it. The actor then filed a civil lawsuit.
Spacey was an acclaimed Hollywood star for a long time, until he was killed due to abuse allegations in the wake of the
