Actor Anthony Rapp loses civil case accusing Kevin Spacey of sexual abuse
CBC
Kevin Spacey on Thursday defeated a sexual abuse claim against him after jurors in Manhattan civil trial found his accuser, actor Anthony Rapp, didn't prove his claim that the Oscar winner made an unwanted sexual advance on him when he was 14.
The verdict followed a three-week trial in Manhattan federal court and came roughly two hours after jurors began deliberating.
Rapp, now 50, testified that Spacey climbed on top of him on a bed and pressed his groin into Rapp's hip until he was able to wriggle free. Spacey denied the allegation on the stand and said he had never been alone with Rapp.
During closing arguments, Rapp's lawyer urged jurors to discredit Spacey's recollection of the events.
"It's inconsistent. It's not worthy of your belief," said Richard Steigman, citing what he claimed were gaps in Spacey's memory and changes in his recollection.
Steigman declined comment following the verdict.
Spacey's lawyer, Jennifer Keller, argued during her closing arguments that Rapp's story was a fabrication. She advanced several theories for why Rapp might have lied, including a desire for attention or jealousy of Spacey's acting success.
"Mr. Rapp is getting more attention in this trial than he has in his entire acting life," Keller said.
Spacey won Oscars for performances in American Beauty and The Usual Suspects, but his career largely ended after more than 20 men accused him of sexual misconduct.
Netflix dropped him from its political drama series House of Cards and Christopher Plummer replaced him in the role of J. Paul Getty in All the Money in the World weeks before the movie's scheduled release in 2017.
The civil trial began on Oct. 6, just under five years after Spacey's career was upended by sexual misconduct allegations in the early days of the #MeToo movement, which encouraged women to speak out about sexual abuse by famous and powerful people. Men also came forward with claims of abuse.
Spacey has denied any misconduct.
Keller urged jurors to ignore the sexual politics of the case.
"This isn't a team sport, where you're either on the #MeToo side or the other side," Keller said.
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WARNING: This story contains allegations of sexual violence and may affect those who have experienced it or know someone affected by it.
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