Actor Anthony Rapp of “Rent” has accused Kevin Spacey of sexual assault and is suing him for $40 million. Spacey has refuted claims that he made unwanted sexual attempts on Rapp, then 14 years old, at a party in 1986. Spacey was digitally removed from a movie and dismissed from “House of Cards” as a result of the claims. Join our weekday newsletter list to receive original analysis, news, and trends in your inbox. Kevin Spacey arrives at the federal courthouse in New York City on Thursday morning as the trial over accusations that he sexually abused Anthony Rapp when the latter was 14 began.
Rapp filed a lawsuit against Spacey in 2020, alleging that during a party at Spacey’s Manhattan house in 1986, Spacey made unwanted sexual advances on him. The lawsuit claims that Rapp went to the bathroom “fearing for his safety” after Spacey grabbed his buttocks, lifted him onto a bed, and laid down on him.
Rapp claimed that despite Spacey’s efforts to get him to stay, he exited the bathroom a short while later and eventually left the residence. At the time, Spacey would have been 26 years old.
Rapp is requesting a $40 million damage verdict from the jury.
Spacey has refuted the charges.
In contrast to a trial by social media, his attorney, Jennifer Keller, said on Wednesday, “We look forward to a trial by jury with actual evidence.”
Judge Lewis A. Kaplan is presideing, and the trial started with jury selection on Thursday morning.
After hearing about the discovery, a wave of other men came forward with similar accusations against Spacey, quickly turning the Academy Award–winning actor into an outcast in the business. He lost his lead part in the Netflix series “House of Cards” and was digitally removed from the movie “All the Money in the World” where he played J. Paul Getty.
In the UK, Spacey is also charged with criminal sexual assault for alleged occurrences that allegedly occurred between March 2005 and April 2013 and included three accusers. Spacey has pleaded not guilty to the accusations, and the trial is set to begin in June.
