Oscar Award-winning actor, Kevin Spacey has been ordered to pay nearly $31 million in damages over alleged sexual misconduct behind the scenes of Netflix’s hit political drama, House of Cards. The payment from Spacey will go to the show’s producer, MRC.
In the wake of sexual misconduct allegations leveled against the actor, Spacey was cut from the popular show. Per Deadline, some of those allegations included the groping of a production assistant and after an investigation. by MRC, the actor saw his participation in the show terminated. MRC had sued Spacey in October 2020 over lost revenue due to the actor’s exit from the show.
An arbitrator in November 2021, after going through 8 days of live testimony and 20 hours of videotaped deposition testimony, ruled in favor of MRC, awarding the company $29.5 million in damages. That award has been upheld by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mel Red Recana with the judge ruling that it was not even close. “Here, [Spacey] fails to demonstrate that this is even a close case,” the judge said. The award to MRC will also include an extra $1.4 million in attorney fees and costs.
Over the past couple of years, Spacey has been accused by several men of sexual harassment and abuse. He recently appeared at the Old Bailey Criminal court in the UK where he faces five counts of sexual assault, charges to which he has pleaded not guilty. The case was brought against the actor by three anonymous men who allege abuse occurred between 2005 and 2013. In October, Spacey will have his civil case brought by actor Anthony Rapp heard in New York. Rapp was the first to publicly accuse Spacey in 2017 stating that he made unwanted sexual advances at a 14-year-old Rapp. Spacey would release a statement on Twitter apologizing while saying he’d be “examining my own behavior.”
Spacey’s legal battles have taken a heavy toll on his acting career. Asides from losing his role as Underwood, in recent times, the actor has been cut off from other projects like Genghis Khan movie, 1242: Gateway to the West. The actor had been penned as the movie’s lead, playing a holy man defending a castle in Hungary against the invading armies of Genghis Khan. He, however, still has his return to acting planned with a role in Peter Five Eight. The film’s producers have also defended their lead star.
British broadcaster, Channel 4 has ordered a documentary series about the actor’s rise and fall. It is titled Spacey Unmasked.