Kevin Spacey sexual assault trial to begin 5 years after Anthony Rapp allegations
Five years after Anthony Rapp accused Kevin Spacey of sexual assault, the disgraced House of Cards actor is facing the allegations in court.
Spacey appeared in federal court in New York on Thursday, where jury selection in his sexual assault trial will begin. This is a civil trial, which came after Rapp sued Spacey for alleged sexual assault.
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In a statement on Twitter at the time, Spacey said he didn't remember the encounter with Rapp but that "if I did behave then as he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior." Rapp's allegation prompted a wave of other men to come forward with similar claims against the actor.
Rapp filed a lawsuit against Spacey in 2020, alleging he "sustained psychological injuries" including "severe emotional distress, humiliation, fright, anger, depression and anxiety." He's seeking damages. Spacey's team has denied Rapp's allegations, maintaining that the actor "never had a sexual encounter with Mr. Rapp," BuzzFeed News reports.
This trial comes after Spacey was charged in the U.K. in May with sexually assaulting three men. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges. According to The Associated Press, his New York trial is expected to last less than two weeks.
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