(Observer Network News) According to the New York Times, on October 20, local time, a federal jury in the Manhattan area of New York, United States, ruled that movie star Kevin Spacey was not guilty, dismissing actor Anthony Rapp's allegations of illegal assault and intentional mental anguish.
Spacey, 63, had tears in his eyes as the jury read the verdict. However, he also faces multiple sexual assault charges in the UK and will travel to the UK to face trial in June 2023.
Kevin Spacey and Anthony Rapp outside the courthouse
In October 2017, Anthony Rapp (Star Trek: Discovery actor and Broadway actor) complained in an interview that Spacey was drunk at a party in the spring of 1986 and picked him up in his room and put him on bed. Spacey was 26 years old and Rapp was 14 years old.
Spacey issued a statement at the end of October 2017 saying he did not remember the encounter, "but if I really did what he [Rapp] described and I owe him the sincerest apology, it would be very inappropriate drinking behavior".
Spacey also took the opportunity to disclose his sexual orientation, saying that he had intimate relationships with men and women, and would choose to live as a gay man after that.
Rapp's complaint became one of the most famous early complaints of "Metoo" (the American movement against sexual harassment), and Spacey's career plummeted. Not only was he swapped for the movie "Money World," but he also lost the opportunity to continue starring in the Netflix series "House of Cards" and was ordered to pay $31 million in liquidated damages to the producers. Since then, more than a dozen allegations of sexual misconduct have emerged against Spacey, including sexual assault allegations filed against him by three men in the United Kingdom.
In November 2020, Rapp sued Spacey for unlawful assault and intentional causing mental anguish and claimed $40 million.
On October 6 of this year, the civil trial began, and both actors testified in court.
The New York Times said Spacey's team of lawyers posed a series of questions to Rapp during the trial, questioned his memory of events said to have occurred 36 years ago, highlighted inconsistencies and singled out ambiguities in his statements, and said Rapp had not provided any third-party evidence to prove the party he mentioned.
Rapp's lawyers provided testimony from three men who said Rapp had mentioned to them about his encounter with Mr. Spacey in the mid-'90s or earlier.
During the trial, Judge Lewis M. A. Kaplan dismissed the claim for moral damage, but allowed the remainder of the proceedings to proceed.
Spacey's lawyers argued that Rapp "fabricated" the charges to draw attention to him, and that Rapp was jealous of Spacey's performance success and dissatisfied with Spacey's lack of public sexual orientation.
But Rapp denied that claim, saying he came forward to seek belated justice, but during a long and tense questioning, he admitted he may have been mistaken in some details. In his closing brief, Rapp's lawyer said "does he look like he's enjoying this attention, and he's doing it to hold Kevin Spacey accountable."
During the trial, Spacey also explained that he regretted apologizing in October 2017 and blamed the adviser at the time, saying that if he completely denied the allegations, he would be called "the one who blames the victim" and "I have learned the lesson of never apologizing for something you have not done."
On October 20, local time, after less than an hour and a half of deliberation, an 11-member jury in Manhattan ruled that there was not enough evidence to prove that Spacey touched Mr. Rapp's "sexual or intimate parts," which means that Rapp cannot claim compensation from Spacey under the law.
After the jury verdicted, Spacey stood up with tears in his eyes and hugged his defense attorney.
Rapp later tweeted that he was grateful for the opportunity to speak his case before a jury and that his purpose in filing the case "has always been to shine a light as part of a larger campaign against all forms of sexual violence." He hopes that victims will continue to bravely tell their stories and hold perpetrators accountable.
Spacey remained silent as he left the courthouse, but his attorney Keller told reporters that "we are glad the jury saw the truth" and that "Kevin Spacey will next be acquitted of all the charges before him."
Other allegations Keller mentioned, including the sexual assault allegations Kevin Spacey faces in the UK.
British prosecutors said three men filed four sexual assault charges against Spacey, in London in 2005, 2008 and in Gloucestershire in 2013, The Washington Post reported.
According to CNN, Spacey appeared in court in London in June this year, and in July he reappeared in a British court, denying four charges and insisting he was not guilty. He was released on bail after Spacey said he needed to return to the United States for work and to visit his family.
In June 2023, Spacey will travel to the UK to face a trial that will last three to four weeks. In an interview with US media, he said that he was confident of "proving his innocence."
This article is an exclusive contribution of Observer.com and may not be reprinted without authorization.