The civil lawsuit charges of sexual assault against actor Kevin Spacey have been dropped. However, Spacey’s criminal charges still stand, as the former House of Cards actor was questioned by Scotland Yard back in May. These charges include 6 sexual assault allegations from 6 different men ranging from the years 1996-2013.
Mitchell Garabedian, the plaintiff’s lawyer in the civil suit, declared that charges in the lawsuit, which had only been filed in Nantucket Superior Court few weeks ago on June 26, have been dropped. While no official word was given as to why, the lawsuit was dismissed “with prejudice,” meaning that the plaintiff cannot refile for these charges again. Some speculate that the charges were settled outside of court, possibly for a monetary sum, as Spacey’s attorney, Alan Jackson, had believed was the case for the original allegations.
The civil suit allegations had included assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and battery. This was the most recent in string of allegations against Spacey, adding to the speculation as to the reason for the dropped charges. Compounding the complexity of this civil case is the fact that the plaintiff and attorney were allegedly unable to find the cellphone that was used on the night of the alleged assault, which was to be used as evidence in the case. According to CNN, defense attorneys were instead allegedly given files from the cell phone, but the information was not enough. Therefore, the judge ordered the prosecution to produce the actual cell phone so that the defense could examine it for evidence that would possibly exonerate Spacey. However, the information was allegedly deleted from the device, and the accuser and his mother, who serves as the plaintiff in the case, claimed they were unable to procure the actual phone. The judge then ordered the plaintiff to produce the phone by Monday, or else face trial testifying to the phone’s whereabouts.
Concerning the criminal charges against Spacey, the actor has been questioned by Scotland Yard officers, or London Metropolitan Police (the Met). Officers of the Met reportedly came to the U.S. to question Spacey back in May. This was concerning several sexual allegations brought against the actor that stemmed from his time in England. According to Variety, the Met stated that, “In May 2019, a man was voluntarily interviewed under caution in America, by officers from the Met’s Complex Case Team,”adding that, “He was not arrested. Inquiries are ongoing.”
These allegedly occurred between 2003 and 2015, during Spacey’s time in London as Old Vic theater’s artistic director. The theater alleged that Spacey’s “stardom and status at The Old Vic may have prevented people, and in particular junior staff or young actors, from feeling that they could speak up or raise a hand for help.”
The hearing for Spacey’s criminal case is scheduled to continue on Monday. This story was first reported by Variety.