The popular jury of a civil court in New York dismissed actor Anthony Rapp on Thursday, October 20, 2022, who accused fallen Hollywood star Kevin Spacey of having subjected him to sexual touching 36 years ago during of a night out in Manhattan. Anthony Rapp, who stars in the series Star Trek: Discovery was then 14 years old, while Kevin Spacey was 26. At the time, one and the other were playing on the boards of Broadway in New York, in two separate shows.
The jury delivered its decision after a short deliberation, rejecting claims by Anthony Rapp, 50, who was seeking $40 million in damages. Shortly after the reading of the deliberations, Kevin Spacey left the court, rushing into the back of a black vehicle without making any statements to reporters.
“Mr Spacey is content to live in a country where citizens have the right to be tried by impartial jurors who make their decision on evidence, not rumors or social media“, rejoiced his lawyer Jennifer Keller. She welcomed in an email to AFP a “quick and clear verdict” and “justice has been served“.
Mr. Rapp, reportedly exiting the back of the Manhattan Courthouse, “gave his truth in court“said his lawyer Peter Saghir in a press release.If we respect the jury’s verdict, it doesn’t change what happened to him.,” he added. The case, revealed at the end of October 2017, at the very beginning of the #metoo phenomenon of freedom of speech on sexual violence, had been followed by other accusations of sexual assaults against the actor, causing him to be sidelined in the entertainment world.
The one who embodied a politician ready to do anything to acquire power in Washington, in the series to the planetary success of Netflix House of Cards, has not finished with the legal troubles that impact his career. The 63-year-old actor is still being prosecuted in the United Kingdom for sexual assaults against three men between March 2005 and April 2013, when he was director of a London theater, and for which he pleaded not guilty last July.