Kevin Spacey testified in court as part of an ongoing insurance trial tied to his removal from the hit political drama series “House of Cards.” The case centers on whether insurers must cover the loss incurred by the production company after the show was disrupted following sexual allegations against the actor.
Details Of The Case
Media Rights Capital (MRC), the production company behind “House of Cards,” is in a legal dispute against Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company.
MRC alleges that the insurance company owes them about $100 million to cover losses after “House of Cards” had to delay production and rewrite the season 7 script after Spacey, the show’s star, was accused of sexual misconduct in October 2017.
In 2022, MRC sued the insurance company to recover its financial losses, citing that Spacey underwent treatment for sex addiction. That, they claim, is a disorder that must be covered under their insurance policy.
Fireman’s Fund, however, claims that Spacey was fired from the show due to the public’s response to his sexual allegations, and not because of a debilitating illness verified by a health expert, which they do cover.
Kevin Spacey Struck A Deal With MRC
One of the allegations against Spacey was that he sexually harassed male “House of Cards” staff, which resulted in a lawsuit being filed by MRC. The company said the actor’s reported harassment on set was a breach of contract, which resulted in massive financial losses.
One of his accusers was a production assistant on the series, who chose to remain anonymous. According to the accuser, Spacey put his hands down his pants without consent while the actor was driving the two of them to a set. Other staff also claimed the actor behaved in a way that made the set a “toxic” work environment.
The judge ruled in MRC’s favor, ordering Spacey to pay $31 million in damages to the production company. However, as The Wrap reported, the actor struck a deal that reduced the amount to $1 million.
In exchange, Spacey was required to hand over medical records, give depositions, and be available to testify during trial. The actor agreed and paid the $1 million in installments.
Kevin Spacey’s Testimony
On March 10, Spacey testified in the MRC vs. Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company trial, where his medical records were discussed. The actor voluntarily agreed to seek treatment at The Meadows treatment facility in Arizona, and Spacey was asked to read his diagnosis in court.
In part, it noted, “Other specified obsessive and related behaviors, sexual compulsive behavior, generalized anxiety disorder.” Spacey then explained that he went in for treatment to “address sexual behavior and boundaries,” as reported by Rolling Stone. Spacey did not challenge his diagnosis, but he did, however, have issues with other notes included in his medical records.
Spacey told the court that there were comments included in the records that he “never said.” “They have an idea that I had a British accent, that I have a wife… I have no idea how they take notes. I’m simply saying that’s not something I said because that’s not something I did,” the actor testified.
The Actor Felt His Life Was Collapsing
Following the series of sexual allegations against him, Spacey said that he decided to “try to help” himself by seeking treatment. “I don’t know if I knew at the time that I had a medical illness or a medical condition, but there were a lot of questions I had,” he said on the stand.
He again stressed that he is continuing to work on taking accountability for his actions, but insisted that there were mistakes in his medical records. “This is typical of the records where it’s a lot of gobbledygook. I don’t speak this way. I don’t recognize it as something I would have said,” Spacey stated.
Inside The Allegations Against Kevin Spacey
Spacey’s downfall started in October 2017, when actor Anthony Rapp claimed in a Buzzfeed News interview that the actor made sexual advances toward him when he was 14 years old in 1986.
Following the news, several others came forward, accusing Spacey of sexual harassment and misconduct.
Spacey was involved in a few cases stemming from the sexual assault claims, but was found not guilty in any of the cases. He was cleared of liability in Rapp’s civil case against him, and he was acquitted of all nine sexual assault charges involving four men in London.