Kevin Spacey Settles Assault Lawsuit After Death of Accuser: Reports

Kevin Spacey Settles Assault Lawsuit After Death of Accuser: Reports
Cast member Kevin Spacey poses at the premiere for the second season of the television series "House of Cards" at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles, California on Feb.13, 2014. (Mario Anzuoni/File Photo/Reuters)
Jack Phillips
12/31/2019
Updated:
12/30/2023

“American Beauty” actor Kevin Spacey has settled a sexual assault lawsuit that was submitted by an anonymous therapist, according to papers filed in court on Monday.

Hollywood Reporter and The Blast reported that in the new court documents, Spacey and the accuser’s estate have come to an agreement. The two parties “stipulate and agree to the dismissal with prejudice of this action, including all claims stated against all parties, with each party to bear his or its own attorneys’ fees and costs,” according to The Blast.

Therefore, the lawsuit has been dismissed, and the case will be officially closed when the judge signs off on it, the Blast reported. A “dismissal with prejudice” means that the lawsuit cannot be filed again.

An unnamed plaintiff, “John Doe,” alleged that Spacey engaged in misconduct at a private residence in Malibu, California, according to reports. Spacey’s lawyers said that the case shouldn’t be allowed to move forward because his identity was being protected, but a judge in the case allowed it to proceed.

After the accuser died, the accuser’s son went to the court to allow him to become an administrator to his father’s estate after he died, the Reporter said.

As reported by the New York Post, the accuser died on Sept. 6. The alleged assault incident occurred three years ago.

More than a dozen people have accused Spacey, whose real name is Kevin Fowler, of misconduct. One of them was Ari Behn, who was married to Norway’s Princess Martha Louise. Behn reportedly committed suicide on Christmas Day.

In July, Massachusetts prosecutors dropped charges against Spacey of an alleged assault in 2016, the Post noted.

Spacey has denied all the allegations of sexual misconduct.

However, in late 2017, Netflix announced that Spacey was removed from the hit Netflix show “House of Cards” in the wake of the claims against him. The streaming service website said it was “deeply troubled” by the allegations while also announcing that it would end the show after its sixth season.

On Christmas Eve, Spacey released an unusual video of him stoking a fire and using cryptic language. He appears to take on the accent and accent of “House of Cards” character Frank Underwood in the video.

“You didn’t really think I was going to miss the opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas, did you?” he asks in Underwood’s Southern drawl. The video is titled “KTWK,” or “Kill Them with Kindness.”

The “Usual Suspects” actor then says it’s been a “pretty good year” and that he “got his health back.” For 2020, he wants “more good in this world.”

While addressing the viewers, Spacey says, “I know what you’re thinking: ‘Can he be serious?’ I’m dead serious.”

He continues, “The next time someone does something you don’t like, you can go on the attack. But you can also hold your fire and do the unexpected. You can kill them with kindness.”

The video ends with ominous music and him smiling.

Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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