Kevin Spacey defeated a sexual assault lawsuit brought against him by Anthony Rapp.
This comes after jurors in the Manhattan civil trial found that Rapp failed to prove his claim that Spacey made unwanted sexual advances on him when he was 14.
Kevin Spacey found innocent: Here’s what we know
As per NPR, Rapp claimed in court that Spacey had allegedly jumped onto bed with him and pressed his groin against Rapp’s hip. Spacey, however, denied the allegations and asserted that they were never alone. According to Rapp, he first met Spacey at a party at his Manhattan apartment in 1986.
The verdict came after more than an hour of deliberations. Spacey reportedly hugged his attorneys before leaving the courtroom. In her closing remarks, Jennifer Keller, the attorney for Spacey, claimed that Rapp’s account was false.
She put forth several hypotheses as to why Rapp might have lied. Her theories included a need for attention or envy over Spacey’s acting prowess.
Rapp filed the lawsuit in September 2020 with a $40 million (est. R737 million) damage demand.
In a separate matter, Spacey is charged with five counts of sexual assault in the United Kingdom. For his charges, he has entered a not-guilty plea. The trial is scheduled to begin in June 2023.
Spacey previously apologised to Rapp for any “deeply inappropriate drunken behaviour,” but he claimed not to remember the incident.
Spacey received Oscar nominations for his roles in The Usual Suspects (1995)and American Beauty (1999), but his career took a plummet after more than 20 men came forward, accusing him of sexual misconduct.
Weeks before House of Cards‘ scheduled 2017 release, Netflix fired Spacey from the political drama series, and Christopher Plummer took over the role of J Paul Getty.
The public react to Spacey’s verdict
The public has been divided on social media since Spacey was found not guilty. Some fans were outraged that Rapp lost the battle. However, some opposed it. Here’s what they had to say: