Kevin Spacey has been found not liable for battery in a sexual misconduct lawsuit brought by fellow actor Anthony Rapp.
A federal jury in New York City deliberated Rapp's $40 million civil suit for just over an hour on Thursday before deciding that his attorneys had not proven that Spacey sexually assaulted him in 1986. Rapp, best known for his role on Star Trek: Discovery, alleges that a then-26-year-old Spacey groped him and climbed on top of him at a party when he was 14 years old.
"Anthony told his truth in court," Rapp's attorney Richard Steigman told Newsweek. "While we respect the jury's verdict, nothing changes that."
Spacey has vehemently denied Rapp's allegation and insisted during tearful testimony at the trial that he never would have been attracted to a 14-year-old, according to the Associated Press (AP). Steigman accused the Academy Award winner of lying to the jury, reportedly saying that he "lacks credibility."
Attorneys for Spacey argued that Rapp's allegation stemmed from jealously over his career, with lead counsel Jennifer Keller telling the jury that "Mr. Rapp is getting more attention from this trial than he has in his entire acting life."
Spacey's legal team also pointed to alleged inconsistencies in Rapp's testimony. After Rapp testified that he had been trapped in an apartment bedroom during the alleged assault, Spacey's legal team pointed out that the party had taken place in a studio apartment without any interior doors, according to Variety.
Rapp's accusation, first disclosed in a 2017 Buzzfeed article, was one of the most high-profile sexual misconduct allegations to emerge from the #MeToo movement. It resulted in massive blowback against Spacey and the emergence of at least 20 other allegations against the former star.
Attorneys for Spacey urged the jury to ignore the #MeToo implications of the trial during closing arguments on Thursday, with Keller reportedly telling jurors that their judgment was not "a team sport where you're either on the MeToo side or the other side."
"Mr Spacey is grateful to live in a country where the citizens have a right to trial by impartial jurors who make their decision based on evidence and not rumor or social media," Keller told Newsweek in a statement. "And he is deeply thankful to this particular jury."
"This was a highly educated group of six women and five men, all except one college graduates and most with graduate degrees," she added. "Their verdict was swift and decisive. Justice was done today."
Spacey is also facing criminal charges in the U.K. related to multiple alleged instances of sexual assault, with the trial set to begin next year. The actor is accused of assaulting three men in London between 2005 and 2013. Spacey pleaded not guilty to the charges during a hearing in July.
In August, a judge in Los Angeles ruled that Spacey and his production companies owe the makers of Netflix series House of Cards nearly $31 million for losses incurred due to his 2017 firing for sexual harassment, according to AP.
Update 10/20/22, 5:47 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information and background.
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