Actor Kevin Spacey was found not responsible in a civil trial alleging he sexually abused a 14-year-old boy in the 1980s.
The Hollywood star was being sued in a civil lawsuit by theater and film actor Anthony Rapp for an alleged accident in 1986 after a party at Spacey’s New York apartment.
Rapp, now 50, was 14 at the time and Spacey was 26. Spacious he had “categorically denied” the allegations.
Anthony Rapp pictured in May
Rapp’s attorney Richard Steigman had urged jurors to charge Spacey for trying to harass his client. He accused Spacey of lying on the stand.
But Jennifer Keller, a Spacey attorney, told Star Trek: Discovery jurors that star Rapp made up the bout and said they should reject her claims.
A courtroom sketch shows Kevin Spacey being interrogated during his trial in New York
Rapp had told the court that Spacey had climbed onto him on a bed and pressed his groin against his hip until he was able to free himself.
Spacey denied the allegation on the stand and said he was never alone with Rapp.
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Ms. Keller put forward several theories during the trial as to why Rapp might have been lying, including a desire for attention or jealousy of Spacey’s acting success.
“Mr. Rapp is getting more attention in this process than in his entire life as an actor,” he said.
Both plaintiffs testified for several days at the three-week trial. The lawsuit asked for $ 40 million in damages.
The verdict of the federal court in Manhattan brings to a conclusion a trial that arose from the #Me too movement.
