Kevin Spacey Defeats Anthony Rapp In $40 Million Sexual Battery Lawsuit

Hollywood veteran Kevin Spacey has emerged victorious in the sexual battery lawsuit Anthony Rapp filed against him.

Rapp had claimed in the suit that the "House of Cards" star gave him an invite to a party at his New York residence in 1986 and made moves to molest him. The said incident was said to have happened while Rapp was a teen and Spacey was a full-fledged adult.

On Thursday, a New York jury found Spacey not guilty of the accusations, and the case was dismissed. The actor is still facing prosecution in the U.K. for sexually abusing three men while staying in London and serving as the Old Vic theater's creative director.

Read on to learn more.

Spacey had been embroiled in a $40 million civil lawsuit with Rapp since 2020 following the complainant suing the actor for making moves to molest him as a teen alongside battery claims.

However, on October 20, 2022, a New York jury of five men and six women found the "House of Cards" star not guilty of the allegations.

According to Variety, the decision came after approximately 80 minutes of deliberations, after which the presiding judge, Lewis Kaplan, formally dismissed the case. Spacey's head dipped slightly when he heard the verdict. Afterward, he got up and gave Chase Scolnick, a legal team member, a bear embrace.

On the other hand, Rapp remained unfazed when the decision was announced, and his attorneys appeared defeated as they departed the Manhattan courthouse.

The "Star Trek: Discovery" star was one of the most well-known accusers of sexual assault against Spacey in the early days of the #MeToo movement, which besmeared the celebrated on-screen and stage career of the "House Of Cards" actor

Spacey offered no opinion to the press after the verdict, leaving the courtroom flanked by his bodyguards before driving off in his SUV. However, his attorney Jennifer Keller issued a statement criticizing Rapp's earlier claims.

She said, per Variety, "I'm very grateful to the jury for seeing through these false allegations." Similarly, Rapp made a statement on Twitter, although he did not share his exact feeling about how the verdict turned out.

He wrote, "Bringing this lawsuit was always about shining a light, as part of the larger movement to stand up against all forms of sexual violence," he wrote. "I pledge to keep on advocating for efforts to ensure that we can live and work in a world that is free from sexual violence of any kind. I sincerely hope that survivors continue to tell their stories and fight for accountability."

Rapp's allegations first came to light when he wrote in a 2017 BuzzFeed article about an encounter he had with Spacey.

In the publication, Rapp claimed that the incident happened in 1986 after he had met Spacey backstage during a Broadway production. The pair hung out with friends after the initial meeting, and Spacey subsequently invited Rapp to his residence for a party.

During the festivities, the two ended up in Spacey's room, where the Oscar-winning actor reportedly took Rapp to his bed and held him down in an aggressive sexual way. At the time, Spacey was 26 years old, and Rapp was 14.

After the initial accusation, Spacey issued a "sincerest apology" for what he labeled "deeply inappropriate drunken behavior." In court, Spacey, however, said he was pushed by his publicist to make that statement, saying he regretted apologizing for something he "didn't do."

During the proceedings, Spacey's attorneys focused on discrepancies in Rapp's testimony. For instance, they pointed out that Rapp claimed Spacey had a separate bedroom, despite the fact that a floor diagram submitted as evidence revealed the actor resided in a studio apartment with a single central room.

As reported by Variety, they said that Rapp harbored resentment toward Spacey for not coming out as gay and was envious of the actor's more successful Hollywood career. The legal team seemingly referenced Spacey's features in several hit series and films compared to Rapp's, whose filmography doesn't boast the same status.

Despite Spacey's recent court victory against Rapp, the embattled actor's troubles are far from over. He still has unresolved charges against him in the U.K. for allegedly sexually assaulting a trio of men while residing in London and working as the creative director of the Old Vic theater. He has since pled not guilty to those accusations.