Kevin Spacey Settles with 3 Alleged Sexual Assault Victims Ahead of Civil Trial in London

Kevin Spacey has reached an out-of-court settlement with three men who filed civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault.

via: Out

Actor Kevin Spacey will avoid another headline-grabbing trial in London by settling out of court with three men who have accused him of sexual assault, according to a court order released this week. The news of the settlement comes after Spacey was cleared of nine charges, including sexual assault, during a 2023 criminal trial in the British capital.

Two of the claimants in the civil trial, which was planned to go forward at London’s High Court later this year, were complainants who gave evidence during the 2023 criminal proceedings. All three claimants’ civil lawsuits, which have been stayed as part of the confidential settlement, were tied to events that allegedly occurred from 2000 to 2013 — a period during which Spacey was the artistic director for the historic Old Vic theater in London.

One of the claimants, Ruari Cannon, who has waived his right to anonymity, alleged that the House of Cards actor groped him during a party at the Old Vic, following the press night for the venue’s production of Tennessee Williams’ Sweet Bird of Youth. Cannon, who participated in the Channel 4 and HBO documentary Spacey Unmasked, settled with the theater in relation to the charges earlier this month.

Since allegations against the actor began to surface in 2017, Spacey has rigidly maintained his innocence, despite numerous men alleging they were targeted by the Oscar winner in a similar fashion. In 2022, a jury in Manhattan sided with Spacey during a civil trial related to Stark Trek: Discovery star Anthony Rapp’s explosive claims that the veteran actor made sexual advances toward him when they were starring together in the 1986 Broadway production of Precious Sons.

After Rapp, who was only 14 at the time of the alleged incident, came forward, Spacey publicly came out as gay.

According to lawyers for the claimants, the planned civil trial in London would have featured testimony from seven other witnesses alleging abusive behavior on the part of Spacey. To date, the actor — who was once lauded for his roles in films like American Beauty, The Usual Suspects, and L.A. Confidential — has not been held liable of sexual misconduct in a criminal or civil case.