Kevin Spacey won the civil case.
DLNews Staff:
Plaintiff Anthony Rapp had entangled himself in several contradictions and raised considerable doubts among the jurors.
Hollywood star Kevin Spacey (63, "House of Cards") has been acquitted in a civil trial over alleged sexual harassment. A court jury found him innocent. Thus, the plaintiff, actor Anthony Rapp (50), comes away empty-handed.
Anthony Rapp (r.) enters the courthouse with his fiance Ken Ithiphol
He had accused Spacey of sexually molesting him when he was a minor. Spacey was 26 years old at the time, the plaintiff 14. The alleged incident is said to have occurred in 1986 at a party in Spacey's Manhattan apartment.
Rapp made the incident public in the wake of the #metoo debate. Spacey subsequently outed himself as gay but claimed to have no memory of the alleged incident.
Jennifer Keller, an attorney for Spacey, told jurors that Rapp had fabricated the encounter.
In fact, Rapp had engaged in several contradictions during the trial. Among other things, he claimed that the molestation occurred in a secluded bedroom. Spacey, however, was living in a studio apartment at the time.
Kevin Spacey (from right) and his attorney Jennifer Keller during closing arguments as seen by the court sketch artist.
"The story only works if you invent a wall and a door," Spacey's attorney said. In addition, she said Rapp's description of the events coincides with a scene from "Precious Sons," the Broadway play he was in at the time.
In the play, a drunken Ed Harris lifts his son, played by Rapp, as he mistakes him for his wife and then lays on top of him in a manner that mirrors Rapp's accusation against Spacey.
This and other inconsistencies raised significant doubts among jurors about the plaintiff's credibility.
Rapp and Spacey had each testified for several days during the three-week trial. The lawsuit sought $40 million in damages.
The allegations by Rapp and others abruptly interrupted the stellar career of the two-time Oscar winner, who lost his job on the Netflix series "House of Cards" - and was even cut from a movie that had already been shot.
Rapp is a regular on the television series "Star Trek: Discovery" and was part of the original cast of "Rent" on Broadway.
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