American actor Kevin Spacey has been found not guilty by a New York jury in a sexual harassment case against Anthony Rapp.
In a $40 million lawsuit, the latter claimed that in 1986, when he was 14 years old and Spacey was 26, the actor invited him to his home and started molesting him there.
The final meeting lasted about three hours.
The prosecution came first.
Lawyer Richard Steigman said that his client told only the truth about what happened, despite all the "dirty" details.
He also noted that Spacey's only defense in court was Rapp's accusation of years of lying against a colleague, whose motives allegedly changed depending on the situation: from jealousy to professional envy.
In turn, the lawyer of the Oscar-winning artist Jennifer Keller said that the prosecution did not show any evidence that Spacey harassed Rapp many years ago.
Keller also showed a picture of the apartment Spacey lived in in 1986.
It did not have a separate bedroom, in which, according to Rapp, the actor tried to rape him.
Thus, the lawyer again accused the plaintiff of lying.
The lawyer clarified that the artist who filed the lawsuit received more attention during this trial than in his entire acting career.
The verdict was delivered fairly quickly.
The jurors deliberated for a little over an hour.
It was decided that Rapp and his lawyer failed to prove their allegations.
According to Deadline, when Judge Lewis Kaplan announced the verdict, Kevin Spacey lowered his head and wiped away his tears before hugging his lawyer team and manager.
The accuser did not respond to this.
Richard Steigman, in an address to those gathered outside the courtroom, said that Anthony Rapp told "his truth", and the verdict does not change it.
“The jurors have pronounced their decision.
Anthony told his truth.
We respect their verdict, but that doesn't change his truth," Steigman said.
Jennifer Keller also issued a statement.
“The jury consisted of very smart and very educated people.
I think 11 out of 12 people have higher education.
Most have at least a master's degree.
These are very, very smart people, and they were able to figure this situation out.
Kevin Spacey is extremely grateful to the jury system and this jury in particular,” said the lawyer.
The actor himself refused to comment, and Anthony Rapp, after the end of the process, published a post on Twitter in which he expressed gratitude for the opportunity given to him to tell the world his story.
“The essence of this lawsuit has always been to shed light (on the truth. -
RT
) as part of a larger movement against all forms of sexual violence,” he wrote.
Anthony Rapp first spoke about sexual harassment in 2017 in an interview with BuzzFeed.
According to the actor, it all happened in 1986 after a party in Spacey's apartment.
When the guests dispersed, he allegedly picked up the young Rapp, laid him on the bed and climbed on top.
Kevin Spacey pleaded not guilty, but was horrified.
He stated that he did not remember this story, as he was drunk.
According to him, if it was, then he apologizes deeply for his behavior.
In addition, these accusations prompted him to confess to non-traditional sexual orientation.
“As my loved ones know, in this life I have had relationships with both men and women.
I have loved men and have been in romantic relationships with men throughout my life.
And now I choose to live as a gay, ”said the actor.
Rapp filed a lawsuit in September 2020: the artist went to court and demanded $40 million in compensation.
Meanwhile, Kevin Spacey, during his testimony, noted that he did not believe that such a thing could happen at all, because at that time Anthony Rapp was too young and did not attract him as a potential sexual partner.
“I learned a lesson: never apologize for what you didn’t do,” the artist said.
After Rapp's confession, Spacey was hit by a number of other allegations of sexual harassment, which pretty much spoiled the career of a Hollywood actor.
Netflix fired him and closed the series "House of Cards", in which the actor played the main role.
At the same time, several members of the film crew of the project also accused Spacey of harassment.
Eight people, on condition of anonymity, admitted to CNN that the actor behaved indecently, allowed himself to make rude comments and touch young people without their consent.
One of the workers said that Spacey raped him in his trailer during the filming of the first seasons of the tape.
In August 2022, the court ordered Kevin Spacey to pay compensation to the authors of "House of Cards" in the amount of $31 million.
After the start of the scandal, many media, public organizations and film companies also refused to cooperate with Spacey.
The actor was stripped of his Emmy Award.
Bartender Daniel Beal and actor Roberto Cavazos also complained about Spacey.
Beal said that the artist harassed him near the bar where he worked, and Cavazos claimed that Spacey allegedly molested him while working at the Old Vic theater.
In 2019, Kevin Spacey was cleared of allegations of sexual harassment against William Little.
The Massachusetts Attorney's Office closed the criminal case due to lack of key evidence - a video that was erased from Little's mobile phone by his mother.
Spacey was accused of allegedly molesting a young man in July 2016, who at that time was 18 years old.
Spacey faced up to five years in prison.