The lawsuit has been dismissed after a jury came to a decision after deliberations. “Star Trek: Discovery” actor Rapp accused Spacey of groping him against his will at age 14 in 1986. Spacey was 26 at the time of the alleged events. Rapp publicly accused Spacey of the events in 2017; Rapp sued Spacey for battery in 2022. Per ABC, Judge Lewis Kaplan “dismissed Rapp’s claim of assault before the trial started and dismissed his claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress after Rapp’s attorneys rested his case, leaving the jury to decide only the battery claim. Under New York law, battery is touching another person, without their consent, in a way that a reasonable person would find offensive.”
Jury only deliberated for 90 minutes to find the verdict, determining that did not prove, by a “preponderance of evidence” that Spacey “touched a sexual or intimate part or parts of Mr. Rapp,” as reported by Vulture. Spacey denied Rapp’s allegations, with Spacey saying under oath that Rapp’s allegations are “not true.” Spacey’s attorneys argued Rapp “created a story” because was jealous of Oscar winner Spacey’s success. Rapp claimed that he met Spacey on the Broadway circuit in 1986, with Rapp starring opposite Ed Harris in “Precious Sons” while Spacey was in Jack Lemmon’s “Long Day’s Journey Into Night.” Rapp claimed Spacey invited him to his apartment, where an intoxicated Spacey later groped him in a sexual manner. Rapp was seeking $40 million in damages — $30 million in punitive damages, $5 million for past pain and suffering, $5 million for future pain and suffering. Spacey’s attorney Jennifer Keller stated that Rapp “created a story” and shared his experience “for sympathy, for attention and to raise his profile.” Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
