Kevin Spacey Found Not Liable in Sexual Abuse Lawsuit
Summary from the AllSides News Team
A Manhattan federal jury found actor Kevin Spacey, 63, not liable for battery in a $40 million lawsuit over allegations that he made a sexual advance toward fellow actor Anthony Rapp, 50, when Spacey was 26 and Rapp was 14.
Key Quotes: Rapp’s lawsuit claimed he had “sustained psychological injuries” of a “permanent and lasting nature” when Spacey allegedly placed then-teenage Rapp on a bed and climbed on top of him in a sexual manner. Spacey denied the allegations, and Rapp affirmed them, in court testimony. After the verdict, Spacey’s lawyer said he was grateful for “impartial jurors who make their decision based on evidence and not rumor or social media.” Meanwhile, Rapp’s lawyer said, “Anthony told his truth in court. While we respect the jury’s verdict, nothing changes that.”
For Context: Spacey’s career was abruptly cut off in 2017 after at least 15 individuals accused him of sexual misconduct during the height of the #MeToo movement. Rapp’s allegations were first reported by BuzzFeed News (Left bias). Spacey apologized to Rapp in 2017 via tweet but later said he regretted his apology.
How the Media Covered It: While legacy newspapers like The New York Times (Lean Left bias) focused on other stories, the Spacey verdict was briefly the top story on outlets like CNN (Left bias) and Fox News (Right bias). While Spacey’s testimony was sometimes quoted, AllSides could find no outlet quoting Rapp’s testimony.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Kevin Spacey not liable in sex abuse case, jury rules
A jury ruled Thursday that actor Kevin Spacey was not liable for battery against Anthony Rapp, according to multiple reports.
Driving the news: The case was born during the early days of the #MeToo movement during which the former "House of Cards" actor was fired from the Netflix series.
The jury made its ruling after about an hour of deliberation, per multiple reports.
Details: Rapp alleged that Spacey made a sexual advance on Rapp in 1986 after a party when the two were relatively unknown actors who had become friends on Broadway, Axios previously reported.
From the Left
Anthony Rapp Has Lost A Lawsuit Accusing Kevin Spacey Of Sexual Assault
Anthony Rapp has lost his civil lawsuit against Kevin Spacey, whom he accused of sexually assaulting him when Rapp was 14.
The jury deliberated for about one hour and 20 minutes on Thursday before finding that Rapp's attorneys did not prove that Spacey had touched his "sexual or intimate part or parts." During closing arguments earlier in the day, Spacey’s attorney Jennifer Keller accused Rapp of “trying to hitch his wagon to the #MeToo movement.”
Throughout the trial, the defense accused Rapp of lying due to jealousy of Spacey’s career...
From the Right
Kevin Spacey cleared by jury in civil sex abuse case
Kevin Spacey dodged another set of misconduct claims on Thursday, when a Manhattan federal court jury cleared him in a lawsuit alleging he sexually abused a 14-year-old boy in 1986.
Jurors deliberated for a little over an hour before siding with the disgraced Oscar-winner over plaintiff Anthony Rapp, finding the latter had failed to prove Spacey made unwanted sexual advances and inappropriately touched him 36 years ago.
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