Famous US actor Kevin Spacey does about-face in court on sex assault claims
In what seems to be an about-face, famous US actor Kevin Spacey told a federal court that he regretted apologising over an unwanted sexual advance accusation. The now 50-year-old actor told the court that the allegation was “not true” saying that he was never alone with actor Anthony Rapp who made the claims.
According to South China Morning Post, the accusations by Anthony Rapp detail an incident when the actor was just 14 years old. He says Spacey was intoxicated and climbed on top of him at a party at his Manhattan apartment. Rapp says he was able to “swerve his way out” of the alleged unwanted advance, but he suffered emotional damage from the incident.
In 2020, Rapp sued Spacey for battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress, but US District Judge Lewis Kaplan dismissed the emotional distress claim, allowing only the battery claim to stand. Spacey took the stand in his own defence in the Manhattan federal court, saying he was “shocked” when Rapp went public with the claim in a 2017 Buzzfeed article.
But the article prompted Spacey to come out as gay and he apologised to Rapp. Now, Spacey is reversing his previous statement about the incident. He broke down in tears in the courtroom, saying that he wanted to do something positive by coming out but was viewed as trying to change the subject from Rapp’s abuse accusations.
“I have learned a lesson, which is never apologise for something you didn’t do. I regret my entire statement. I would never have done anything to hurt the gay community. I’m deeply sorry.”
Rapp was just beginning his Broadway musical career when he says the alleged incident occurred. Last week, Spacey’s lawyer challenged Rapp’s memory of the 1986 incident during cross-examination by asking him why he described the event as happening in a bedroom when Spacey lived in a studio at the time.
But Rapp wasn’t the only person that has accused Spacey of sexual abuse as more than 20 men have followed suit in accusing him of similar assaults. Netflix also dropped Spacey from its political drama series House of Cards. Spacey is also facing a criminal trial in London next year as five sex offence charges have been levied against him spanning the years between 2005 and 2013.
