MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CELEBRITY NEWS

'Very grateful to the jury': Kevin Spacey wins! Actor cleared in $40m civil sex abuse brought by Anthony Rapp

In the $40 million civil lawsuit, Anthony Rapp accused Kevin Spacey of sexually assaulting him at a party in 1986 and sued him in 2020

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: A Manhattan jury has sided with Kevin Spacey and cleared him of his sexual abuse allegations after Anthony Rapp alleged that he was sexually abused by Spacey in 1986. In the $40 million civil lawsuit, Rapp, 50, reportedly sued Spacey, 63, in 2020 saying the then-26-year-old star sexually assaulted him at a party at Spacey's New York City apartment in 1986 when Rapp was just 14.

After a two-week trial in Manhattan's federal court and just over an hour of deliberation, the jury came to the verdict that the Oscar-winning actor is not liable after claiming that the accuser Anthony Rapp hadn't proven his allegations of sexual abuse. The 'American Beauty' star's lawyer Jennifer Keller said they were, “Very grateful to the jury for seeing through these false allegations,” reported New York Post. “There was no truth to any allegations.”

READ MORE

Kevin Spacey accused of sexually assaulting three more men in London

Does Kevin Spacey deserve a second chance? At least Robin Wright believes he should be given one

She said, “This was a highly intelligent, highly educated jury… They’re bright people." “Mr. Spacey is deeply grateful,” Keller said. Rapp’s attorney, Richard Steigman, reportedly claimed during the closing arguments, that Rapp had been honest in his claims and that the lawsuit was not part of some 30-year vendetta against Spacey. “The simple truth here is, This happened, he shared it, and after all this time, he’s come here to share that truth with you,” the lawyer told jurors as reported by New York Post.

However, during Spacey's trial on October 17, Spacey allegedly had an emotional breakdown after he was called a "fraud" by plaintiff Rapp for not coming out as gay sooner. "I have never talked about these things publicly. My father was a white supremacist and a neo-Nazi. My father used to yell at me about the idea I might be gay," Spacey told the court. The sexual abuse came amid the fallout of the #MeToo movement and derailed the filmstar's career and cast out of the hit Netflix series, 'House of Cards'. Nevertheless, after Spacey was cleared of his charges fans on social media pleaded to bring Spacey back on the much-hyped show. While some have slammed the decision. 

One fan wrote, after Spacey's verdict came out, "Soooo… can we get Kevin Spacey back on@netflix and #HouseOfCards like asap." Another user chimed, "@KevinSpacey I am so happy you win your case in court! You need a vacation a break! You also need to get back to work I pray you get back on Netflix! Netflix should give you your job back with back pay!" "I stopped watching House of Cards after Kevin Spacey left. Kevin about to sue everyone who fired him," another tweet read. While another tweeted, "Sooooooo can we get a new season of House of Cards @netflix
@KevinSpacey #kevinspacey"

While many were not pleased by Spacey's sexual misconduct charges being dropped and also slammed other users' ideas to bring Spacey back on the show. One tweet read, "Swell, Kevin Spacey will be welcomed back to Hollywood despite countless claims of sexual abuse by multiple people over decades. I'm sure Hollywood is working on an octogenarian super hero part that's perfect for Spacey." Another user wrote, "It's ok @JKCorden no matter how vile and pretentious you are. You're still going to get work thrown at you. TV lands easily forgets. Kevin Spacey will be back on our screens within 10 year. #JamesCorden #Scumbag #UpHisOwnA***" "Kevin Spacey found not guilty? Just another day of the court system failing the victims of rich and powerful men. I hate this world," another user wrote on Twitter.

Spacey is pending another sexual misconduct trial where he was accused of abusing several men while working as an artistic director at London’s Old Vic Theater between 2005 and 2013. He is charged with four counts of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity, the most serious charge. The trial is due next year. 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.

.