Entertainment
Jury Finds Kevin Spacey Not Guilty of Rapp’s 1986 Sexual Abuse Claim
Thursday, a jury agreed with Kevin Spacey that he did not sexually abuse Anthony Rapp, then 14, in 1986, when they were both relatively unknown Broadway actors.
The judgement in the civil trial was rendered in record time. A New York federal court jury deliberated for about an hour before ruling that Rapp had failed to establish his charges.
Upon hearing the verdict, Kevin Spacey bowed his head and embraced his attorneys. As he exited the courthouse, he did not address the press.
His counsel, Jennifer Keller, expressed gratitude to the jurors for recognizing the falsity of the accusations.
Next, it will be demonstrated that Mr. Spacey is not guilty of any of the accusations made against him. That none of the allegations were true,” she continued, referring to additional sexual misconduct allegations against the actor, including criminal proceedings in England.
Rapp said during the trial that Spacey invited him to his apartment for a party and then approached him in his bedroom after the other visitors had departed.
He claims that Spacey, who was 26 years old at the time, scooped him up and lay him half on a bed before asking him if he was sure he wanted to leave.
In his sad statement, Spacey told the jury that it never occurred and that he would never have been drawn to a 14-year-old.
Rapp demanded damages of $40 million from Kevin Spacey.
Rapp and his attorneys also exited the courthouse without addressing the media. In his closing arguments to the jury on Thursday, Richard Steigman, Rapp’s attorney, accused Spacey of perjury.
“He lacks credibility,” declared Steigman. “The simplest truth is sometimes the finest. The basic fact is that this event occurred.”
During the three-week trial, Rapp, 50, and Spacey, 63, each testified over the course of multiple days.
The two-time Academy Award winner’s soaring career was unexpectedly derailed by Rapp’s and others’ allegations; he was fired from the Netflix series “House of Cards” and saw other prospects evaporate. Rapp is a regular on the television series “Star Trek: Discovery” and was in the original cast of “Rent” on Broadway.
In Massachusetts, Spacey was accused of groping a guy in a club, but prosecutors later dropped the charges.
Three months ago in London, he pleaded not guilty to allegations that he sexually abused three men between 2004 and 2015 while serving as creative director of the Old Vic theatre.
This July, a judge in Los Angeles authorized an arbitrator’s judgment to force Spacey to pay $30.9 million to the producers of “House of Cards” for sexually assaulting staff members in violation of his contract.
The Associated Press does not typically identify individuals who allege sexual assault unless they publicly come forward, as Rapp has done.
At the trial, Spacey testified that he was certain the interaction with Rapp never occurred, in part because he was residing in a studio apartment rather than the one-bedroom apartment stated by Rapp, and because he had never hosted a gathering larger than a housewarming party.
“I was aware that I would have no sexual attraction to Anthony Rapp or any child. I know,” he told the jury.
Keller indicated in her closing remarks to the jury that Rapp imagined or fabricated his meeting with Spacey.
It was plausible, she said, that Rapp based it on his experience starring in “Precious Sons,” a play in which actor Ed Harris lifts up Rapp’s character and lays on top of him, mistaking him for his wife until realizing he is his son.
She also said that after his breakout performance in “Rent” on Broadway, Rapp got envious that Spacey became a megastar while he had “minor roles in small musicals.”
“Fame did not follow him,” stated Keller. The coach of Mr. Rapp has transformed into a pumpkin.
Keller stated, “Mr. Rapp is receiving more attention from this trial than he ever has in his whole acting career.” She stated that Rapp is now well-known since he defeated one of Hollywood’s biggest performers.
During two days of evidence, Spacey expressed contrition for a 2017 statement he released when Rapp initially went public, in which he said he didn’t remember the incident, but if it did occur, “I owe him an apology for what would have been very inappropriate intoxicated behaviour.”
Spacey, wiping his eyes with a tissue, stated that publicists and attorneys had forced him into issuing an empathic statement at a time when the #MeToo movement made everyone in the business anxious.
He remarked, “I’ve learned my lesson, which is to never apologize for something you didn’t do.”
He also wept as he expressed guilt for declaring publicly that he was gay on the same day Rapp’s claims were made public, as his statement was seen by some as an attempt to alter the subject or deflect attention from Rapp’s discoveries.
Spacey stated that he discussed very personal topics during the trial, telling the jury that his father was a white supremacist and Nazi who called him queer because he enjoyed the theatre.
When impersonating his Broadway co-star at the time, Jack Lemmon, Spacey also gave courtroom onlookers a taste of his acting abilities. Previously, he stated that his talent for impressions assisted him in his acting career.
