(London) American actor Kevin Spacey risks a new trial in London, civil this time, for accusations of sexual assault, in a procedure which had been suspended pending the outcome of the criminal trial in which he was acquitted.
These lawsuits were launched in 2022 by a man accusing Kevin Spacey of sexual assault, but were suspended after the Oscar winner was indicted for American Beauty And Usual Suspects following accusations by four men, which resulted in his acquittal last year.
At the end of the criminal proceedings, Kevin Spacey’s lawyers failed to file the defense submissions expected by the High Court in the civil case, so a default judgment on the actor’s liability was rendered .
But following a hearing Tuesday, the judge overturned the default ruling, paving the way for a civil trial to be held over the charges.
This perspective is emerging as the 64-year-old actor has denied new accusations of sexual assault, before the broadcast on Monday and Tuesday of a documentary bringing together the testimonies of ten men denouncing the star’s behavior towards them.
In an interview broadcast on the internet ahead of the documentary’s broadcast, Kevin Spacey denied any illegal behavior.
He admits to having had sexual relations with men “who thought they were advancing their careers by having a relationship” with him, but assures that he “never told anyone that I would help them in their career in exchange for favors sexual”.
Also accused of sexual assault in the United States, Kevin Spacey was found not guilty in 2022 by a New York civil court. And in 2019, charges were dropped in another case.
These accusations, which emerged at the time of the #metoo movement, put an end to the career of the actor, then at the height of his glory, lead performer in the hit Netflix series House of Cards.