Entertainment

Kevin Spacey sued by Anthony Rapp and another accuser over alleged 1980s attacks

Rapp first made allegations against House Of Cards star Spacey in October 2017.
Rapp first made allegations against House Of Cards star Spacey in October 2017. Rapp first made allegations against House Of Cards star Spacey in October 2017.

Kevin Spacey has been sued by two men – including the actor Anthony Rapp – who allege he sexually assaulted them as 14-year-olds in the 1980s.

Rapp, best known for his work on TV series Star Trek: Discovery, first made allegations against Spacey in October 2017, leading to the actor’s downfall and banishment from Hollywood.

In a lawsuit filed in New York this week, Rapp says Spacey invited him to a party at his Manhattan apartment in 1986. While there, Rapp alleged, he was the victim of an “unwanted sexual advance” when Spacey grabbed his buttocks.

Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey has been sued by two men who allege he assaulted them in the 1980s (Ian West/PA Wire)

He managed to escape to the bathroom, according to the lawsuit, and later left the apartment.

The second accuser is anonymous and identified only as CD in the lawsuit. He alleged he was 12 when he first met two-time Oscar-winner Spacey, who was teaching an acting class in 1981.

Their paths crossed again when the accuser was 14, the lawsuit states, and Spacey invited him back to his apartment.

Spacey then allegedly sexually assaulted the boy, according to the legal papers. The pair engaged in sex acts on multiple occasions, it is alleged, and during their final encounter Spacey ignored the boy’s “verbal and physical resistance”.

Both the accusers are suing Spacey, 61, for unspecified damages, claiming the alleged attacks have caused psychological damage.

After Rapp first made his allegations, Spacey said he did not remember the incident but if it did occur “I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behaviour”.

Spacey, once of the most decorated stars in Hollywood, has been largely shunned from the industry since Rapp’s allegations sparked a wave of similar accusations in both the US and UK.

Spacey is yet to respond to the lawsuit.

He has faced legal action in Los Angeles and Nantucket, Massachusetts, but is yet to be found liable in any case. Spacey is also being investigated by Scotland Yard.

Peter J Saghir, the lawyer representing both Rapp and the second accuser, said in a statement to the PA news agency: “This lawsuit sends a strong message that no matter how wealthy, powerful or famous you may be you are not above the law.

“Our clients are looking forward to their day in court and to obtaining justice for a crime that never should have happened.”