Topline
Kevin Spacey was sued on Wednesday by the actor Anthony Rapp and an anonymous man, both of whom accuse Spacey of sexual offenses against them in the 1980s when they were about 14 years old, adding to a series of court cases and allegations that have derailed Spacey’s acting career.
Actor Kevin Spacey leaves Nantucket District Court on July 7, 2019 after being arraigned on sexual ... [+]
Key Facts
The lawsuit comes about four years after Rapp publicly accused Spacey of making sexual advances toward him when he was underage in a 2017 BuzzFeed article, leading to a series of other sexual misconduct allegations against Spacey.
Spacey said in a statement at the time that he was “beyond horrified” and did not remember the encounter but said, “If I did behave then as he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior.”
Rapp alleges in the lawsuit filed in New York Supreme Court in Manhattan on Wednesday that Spacey “engaged in an unwanted sexual advance” with him when he was 14 at a party at Spacey’s home in 1986; no criminal charges had been filed in association with the case.
The second plaintiff, identified as C.D., alleges he and Spacey “engaged in sexual acts” on multiple occasions in the early 1980s when the plaintiff was underage.
Peter Saghir, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told the New York Times the lawsuit was brought under the Child Victims Act, adopted last year, which significantly extends New York’s statute of limitations for child sex abuse.
The plaintiffs filed a civil suit because the Child Victims Act stipulates that prosecutors can bring criminal charges until a victim is 28 years old; they are both past that age and are seeking unspecified damages for emotional distress.
Key Background
In 2016, Spacey was charged with sexual assault in Nantucket, Massachusetts, after an 18-year-old man accused Spacey of fondling him in a restaurant. Prosecutors dropped the case in 2019 after the individual invoked his Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination and refused to continue testifying. Spacey’s lawyer had warned the unnamed plaintiff could be charged with a felony if he had deleted evidence from his cellphone. Last year, the estate of a deceased massage therapist dropped a civil lawsuit against Spacey for undisclosed reasons. The massage therapist had accused Spacey of groping him and making improper sexual advances in 2016 during a massage. In 2017, the Old Vic theater in London said 20 people came forward with allegations of inappropriate behavior by Spacey from 1995 to 2013, before and during his tenure as the theater’s artistic director. Spacey was starring on the hit Netflix series House of Cards and had received accolades throughout his career, including a Tony Award and two Oscars.
Tangent
Rapp said he felt compelled to speak publicly in 2017 after the accusations against Harvey Weinstein sparked the #MeToo movement in which people in entertainment then other fields spoke openly about sexual abuse and harassment.
Further Reading
Actor Anthony Rapp sues Kevin Spacey for sexual misconduct in 1980s (Reuters)
Kevin Spacey Accused of Sex Offenses Against Teenagers in New Lawsuit (New York Times)
Sexual Assault Charge Against Kevin Spacey Is Dropped (New York Times)
Actor Anthony Rapp: Kevin Spacey Made A Sexual Advance Toward Me When I Was 14 (BuzzFeed)
