Kevin Spacey Takes the Stand and Calls Anthony Rapp's Sexual Assaults 'Not True' in Civil Trial

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo: Steven Senne/AP/Shutterstock

Kevin Spaceytook the stand on Monday to defend himself against actorAnthony Rapp’s claims of sexual assault.

The formerHouse of Cardsstar was the first witness for the defense, fielding questions from his own attorney Jay Barron. In his first response, the 63-year-old actor said the allegations “are not true,” according toNPR.

Rapp alleged in a2017 BuzzFeed reportthat in the 1980s Spacey had made a sexual advance on Rapp, who was then 14 years old, in the older actor’s apartment.

Spacey added that he was “forced to listen to hours and hours and hours” of his father’s lectures, which made him have a “hatred” of bigotry, according toNBC News.

“I have never talked about these things publicly. Ever,” NBC News cited Spacey as saying.

Anthony Rapp (left) and Kevin Spacey.Dia Dipasupil/Getty; Jason Merritt/Getty

In response to Rapp’s assertion that Spacey — who also used his denial of Rapp’s accusation back in 2017 as occasion to publicly reveal he is gay — was a “fraud” for not revealing his sexuality sooner,Varietyreported that Spacey countered: “To call someone a fraud is to say someone is living a lie. I wasn’t living a lie. I was just reluctant to talk about my personal life.”

“I certainly had a degree of shame,” he said of his sexuality, perVariety, with NPR citing Spacey as claiming his father “used to yell at me at the idea that I might be gay.”

On Monday,CNNreported Spacey acknowledged regretting his initially response to Rapp’s claims: “I was being encouraged to apologize and I’ve learned a lesson which is never apologize for something you didn’t do. I regret my entire statement.”

Earlier Monday, Spacey’s legal team claimed a small victory when U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan dismissed one of Rapp’s claims. The judge got rid of theclaim of intentional infliction of emotional distressafter Rapp’s lawyers finished their presentation of evidence, the Associated Press reported.

A lawyer for Spacey — who has has denied the allegation, as well asseveral other sexual misconduct claims— argued for dismissal of the case, stating that Rapp’s legal team had failed to prove his allegations. Judge Kaplan ultimately decided that parts of the claim echo Rapp’s accusations that he was a victim of assault and battery and as such could not go forward, according to the Associated Press.

A legal representative for Rapp did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on the dismissal.

Steve Mack/WireImage.

Last week, defense attorney Jennifer Kellercross-examined Rappabout his account of his and Spacey’s first meeting in 1986, which differed from the deposition of a friend who was present at the time, according to theAssociated Press.

After taking the stand, Rapp recalled how when he was 14, Spacey allegedly asked him and his older friend to join him at a nightclub after the trio met backstage at Spacey’s Broadway show. He testified that they left the nightclub and returned home without incident, per the AP.

But the unidentified friend — who was also a teen at the time — reportedly claimed in a deposition that they went to Spacey’s home the first night they met, and Spacey attempted to entice Rapp into a sexual encounter.

According to the AP, Keller asked Rapp in court: “Considering the friend’s deposition, ‘You knew you had a problem with your story, correct?'” In response, Rapp said on the stand, “I don’t dispute his story. I just don’t remember it.”

RELATED VIDEO: Kevin Spacey Pleads ‘Not Guilty’ to Sexual Assault Charges in London Court

Rapp also testified in court that he told a classmate about his sexual encounter with Spacey, alleging that he was watching television in a bedroom when Spacey “came in drunk, picked me up as a groom does a bride, and he climbed on top of me trying to get with me sexually and I managed to squirm away,” per the AP.

During the cross-examination, theRentactor clarified that Spacey never attempted to touch his genitals, remove his clothing or make any references to sex. He also denied having any sort of crush or obsession with Spacey.

Rapp did, however, recall feeling “stuck with a cattle prod” after going to see a movie starring Spacey in high school and testified that he ran into Spacey in the bathroom at the 1999 Tony Awards.

“As I was washing my hands, Kevin Spacey walked through the door. I looked at him and he looked at me. That was startling. … I wanted very much to get away,” Rapp said, per the AP.

Rapp fis seeking $40 million in compensatory and punitive damages for battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress, according toReuters.

Kevin Spacey arrived at NY court.ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

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In the wake of the Rapp allegations, Spacey became subject toseveral other sexual misconduct cases, including a2018 lawsuitinvolving the alleged rape of a young man.

In May, Spacey was charged with sexually assaulting three men in the U.K. Hepleaded not guilty to the chargesin July. He also pleaded not guilty to one charge of making a person engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.

Despite the allegations against him, director Franco Nero confirmed toVarietyin May that he had cast Spacey as a police detective inL’uomo Che Disegnò Dio.

The actor was also set to appear inPeter Five Eight, but producers of the film confirmed in May that he dropped out upon being charged with the four counts of sexual assault. (Hebacked out of1242: Gateway to the Westas well.)

While Spacey’s court date is underway in New York,his U.K. trialis set to begin some time next year.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.

source: people.com