Kevin Spacey is facing a civil damages claim at the High Court in which three men are suing the Hollywood actor over alleged sexual abuse, with the case hearing that the first alleged attack took place in 1976 when Spacey was still a teenager studying at a Los Angeles high school.
The 66-year-old, who has denied all wrongdoing, did not attend the High Court for today’s pre-trial review. Seven men have come forward as witnesses in the civil claim, which is due to be heard in full later this year and seeks damages in excess of £30,000 per claimant.
Elizabeth-Anne Gumbel KC, representing the three men bringing the claim, told the court that Spacey had “exploited his power and influence as a successful celebrity” to prey on young men over a prolonged period, with allegations including him “attempting to kiss or touch them inappropriately or force them to touch him inappropriately over a number of years.” She added that “in a number of cases, there was an element of grooming prior to the assaults occurring and of gifts being given to the young men,” and that “the assaults themselves occurred unexpectedly.”
The allegations stretch across five decades. The earliest claim dates to 1976, when Spacey is accused of groping a male driver while attending Chatsworth High School in Los Angeles. In 1998, he is alleged to have exposed himself and groped an unpaid intern in the film industry, and to have committed a sex act in front of another young actor later that same year.
One claimant alleges he was subjected to repeated abuse between 2000 and 2005 while working as Spacey’s driver, with the actor said to have grabbed him and smacked him inappropriately on multiple occasions. Another man claims he was sexually assaulted after being drugged and falling asleep at Spacey’s flat in 2008, an experience he says was so traumatic it led him to alcohol and drug dependency and ultimately ended his acting career. Spacey was acquitted of this specific allegation during his 2023 criminal trial at Southwark Crown Court, though the compensation claim has been permitted to proceed.
Two massage therapists have also made separate allegations of abuse during sessions with the actor, and a further witness has alleged inappropriate contact while working as an intern in 2008. One claimant, Ruari Cannon, has waived his right to anonymity. He alleges Spacey groped him at a party following his appearance in Tennessee Williams’ Sweet Bird of Youth at the Old Vic in 2013 — during the period Spacey served as the theatre’s artistic director between 2004 and 2013. The Old Vic confirmed it has separately reached a confidential out-of-court settlement with Cannon, without any admission of liability.
The final alleged incident in the timeline is said to have taken place during the filming of House of Cards between 2013 and 2018.
Spacey was cleared of all charges at Southwark Crown Court in 2023 following a criminal trial related to his time at the Old Vic. He has previously acknowledged “bad behaviour” and being “too handsy” on occasion, but has firmly denied groping men and has stated he has never offered career assistance in exchange for sexual favours. The full civil trial is scheduled to be heard at the High Court later this year.
