CNN –
[Breaking news update, published at 4:12 p.m. ET]
In a victory for Kevin Spacey, a New York jury has found him not responsible for battery over allegations he picked up actor Anthony Rapp and briefly got on top of him in a bed after a party in 1986.
[Original story, published at 2:50 p.m. ET]
Closing arguments are underway in the civil trial for inappropriate sexual conduct against Kevin Spacey, based on allegations by actor Anthony Rapp.
Best known for his role on “Star Trek: Discovery,” Rapp claims that in 1986, Spacey, then 26, invited him to his Manhattan home, where he grabbed Rapp, laid him on the bed and he grabbed her buttocks. and pressed his groin against Rapp’s body without his consent.
He’s suing Spacey for battery.
Judge Lewis Kaplan dismissed Rapp’s assault claim before the trial began and dismissed his intentional infliction of emotional distress claim after Rapp’s lawyers rested their case, leaving the jury to decide only the claim of the battery Under New York law, battery is touching another person, without their consent, in a way that a reasonable person would find offensive.
In his closing argument, Rapp’s attorney, Richard Steigman, suggested that Spacey twisted his trial testimony to suit his defense, pointing to Spacey’s 2017 apology to Rapp when he first came forward time
“Don’t listen to what I said in real time. Now I’m defending a lawsuit. Listen to me now. I’ve got it fixed,” Steigman said, mocking Spacey’s attempt to convince the jury that he was coerced by publicists to make the statement he stated he now regrets.
Steigman called Spacey’s testimony rehearsed compared to the raw testimony given by his client.
“When you’re rehearsed, a world-class actor, and you’re following the script and following someone else’s testimony, you can take that stance and be perfectly polished,” Steigman said. “When you just go to court, show up and tell the truth about your experience, especially one like this that’s a little complicated.”
Steigman also disputed the defense’s argument that Rapp wanted to out Spacey as gay.
“The point of the story is not that Kevin Spacey is gay. It’s that he sexually abused him when he was 14. That’s what he’s sharing with people, he’s sharing his experience, nothing more, nothing less. Where’s the proof he said to any media outlet, you know, kevin spacey is gay, should you really run with that?
Spacey’s attorney, Jennifer Keller, began her closing argument by addressing the Me Too movement’s shadow over the case, claiming that Rapp “hitched his wagon” to the movement when he came forward.
“This is not a team sport where you’re on Me Too’s side or the other side,” Keller told the jury. “This is a very different place. Our system requires evidence, proof and objective support for accusations presented to an impartial jury. As polarized as society is today, it really shouldn’t take place here.”
Keller suggested that Rapp drew his allegations against Spacey from an almost identical scene from the Broadway show “Precious Sons,” in which Rapp was performing with Ed Harris in 1986 at the time of the alleged incident.
“We are here because Mr. Rapp has falsely alleged abuse that never occurred at a party that was never held in a room that did not exist,” she said.
Spacey’s attorney concluded his statements by asking the jury not to compromise its verdict by finding Spacey liable for the battery, but only awarding Rapp a single dollar in damages.
“You’re here to be the judges of the facts. Did it happen? It didn’t happen. A penny is too much for something that didn’t happen. And for Mr. Spacey it’s not about the money. For Mr. Spacey it’s about the truth that day and he was falsely accused,” Keller said.
The jury in the case began deliberations Thursday afternoon.