Kevin Spacey’s lawyer spent much of Tuesday and Wednesday attempting to demolish testimony from actor Anthony Rapp.
Rapp is suing Spacey for assault, battery and intentionally inflicting emotional distress. It dates back to an alleged incident at a party Spacey hosted at his New York apartment in 1986. Rapp, then 14, says Spacey, 26, tried to initiate a sexual encounter with him.
Related: Kevin Spacey is back!… with four new sexual assault charges
Yesterday, Peter Saghir, Rapp’s lawyer, asked the Star Trek: Discovery actor if he decided to tell his story to Buzzfeed in 2017 to raise his public profile (as suggested by Spacey’s lawyer).
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“I came forward because I knew I was not the only one Kevin Spacey had made advances to,” Rapp replied.
This prompted “uproar” in the courtroom, reports Deadline. Jennifer Keller, Spacey’s lawyer, immediately objected to Rapp’s statement.
Judge Lewis A. Kaplan sustained the objection and told the jury to disregard it.
A bench conference then took place between the judge and lawyers for several minutes. However, at the end of it, Kaplan said his ruling stood.
Spacey’s lawyers attack’s Rapp’s credibility
The case presented by Spacey’s lawyer is that Rapp misremembered the incident. She also suggested during her opening statement that Rapp was frustrated and “bitter” at not landing better roles after coming out as gay. She suggested Rapp was envious of Spacey for carving himself a bigger Hollywood career while staying in the closet.
Rapp was in New York in 1986 to act in the play, Precious Sons, alongside Ed Harris. In that production, Harris’ character, drunk, comes home one night and mistakes his son (played by Rapp) for his wife. He lies on top of him on a couch in a darkened room and pleads for sex.
“The rhythms of the play had kind of seeped into your subconscious,” suggested Keller to Rapp. “He was climbing on top of you, twice a night, for weeks on end,” she added, before asking if Rapp had become “accustomed” to doing the scene.
“To some degree,” he replied.
Related: Kevin Spacey pictured on set of new movie project being shot in the US
Keller also quizzed Rapp on why he hadn’t talked about the incident with his therapist.
“You did not tell him about what you consider to be one of the most traumatic events of your life?” asked Keller.
“It didn’t come up in my thinking in any aspect of what I was talking about,” Rapp replied.
Returning to the subject of his profile, Keller said, “You were on the new Star Trek streaming show, but it wasn’t clear it would be renewed in 2017 for a second season,” she said. “You wanted to promote the show, raise your visibility.”
She questioned why he went to Buzzfeed with his story, and not an outlet like the New York Times, which had broken other #MeToo stories.
Rapp defended Buzzfeed, saying it also carried serious news stories, and that he had trust in the journalist, Adam Vary.
“It is something that happened to me that was not OK”
Following yesterday’s bench conference, and Rapp’s comments suggesting Spacey had harassed others, Rapp’s lawyer asked him one final question: Had he made up any of his story.
“I have not,” Rapp replied. “It is something that happened to me that was not OK.”
Rapp has now finished giving testimony. He was on the stand for around five hours on Tuesday and Wednesday. Kevin Spacey sat in the courtroom watching Rapp while he testified. He took occasional notes.
Spacey will take the stand next week in his own defense.
Rapp is suing Spacey for $40 million. Besides this court case, other men have come forward to make allegations against Spacey and he faces a separate criminal trial in the UK.
In August, Spacey was also ordered by a judge in Los Angeles to pay the producers of the Netflix show, House of Cards, $31million to cover losses they incurred after firing him in 2017 after allegations emerged of him sexually harassing crew members.
frapachino
“Kevin Spacey’s defense team lodges sickening attack on Anthony Rapp in sexual misconduct trial” because defending oneself is verboten to certain woke witch hunters!
AmblinGuy
There is nothing “sickening” about a defense attorney asking what appear to be sound questions about the plaintiff and the situation.
I’m here for hearing accusers out – but I wonder if, in our collective zeal for ‘justice’ (and the weird thrill it seems to bring some folks of being offended FOR someone else), we’ve removed all burdens of proof that come with making an accusation – particularly in a court of law.
Gz8p
I wholeheartedly agree that sexual assault is never right. However, the trial-by-media that the accused undergoes is detrimental to getting a fair legal trial. Innocent until proven guilty seems to go out the window when allegations of a sexual nature are involved. Even the title of this article presumes Spacey’s guilt by the portrayal of Rapp as the victim and Spacey’s lawyer’s as predatory. Spacey’s lawyer is doing the job she was hired to do. It’s nothing personal against Rapp. With one person’s word against another, isn’t the burden of proof on the accuser to explain to the jury that the events are more likely than not to have occurred? Isn’t Spacey’s defence to establish doubt about the veracity of Rapp’s account? Nothing to see here – business as usual for the legal system
Cam
Oh look, the same troll account that brings on multiple accounts to defend anti-LGBTQ Republican bigots also defends child molesters.
How REPUBLICAN of you.
Ronbo
I don’t think that Cam understands that ever-present attacks calling queerty readers “Republicans” is a complete backfire! The more he attacks us, for the common sense comments, the more he advertisies that he/she is an extremist – just mirroring the nastiness of extremists on the Right.
Cam, people never react positively to your personal attacks and lies. It just shows that all extremism is the enemy. You apparently dislike the lies and personal attacks from the right; do you think it’s better from the left? No one has ever thought, “Ohhh. I hope that Cam fella attacks the gays with more hateful division, insults and lies.”
Please try to use reason and logic in your thinking. There are some great sites on the web where you can learn to channel your communications into a productive path towards cooperation and acceptance. This is a site for the community to come together. Your comments indicate that you don’t want that. Please be better or just troll actual Republican sites.
Chrisk
I’m sure Spacey had sexual intentions with Rapp. However, I can’t see as it’s worth 40 million since nothing really happened other then him getting picked and pinned momentarily on the bed.
bachy
Exactly how I feel as well. How psychologically damaging could the event have been if he was engaged in that exact behavior as an actor on the stage, twice a night, for weeks on end?
Rapp was in New York in 1986 to act in the play, Precious Sons, alongside Ed Harris. In that production, Harris’ character, drunk, comes home one night and mistakes his son (played by Rapp) for his wife. He lies on top of him on a couch in a darkened room and pleads for sex.
Den
“How psychologically damaging could the event have been if he was engaged in that exact behavior as an actor on the stage, twice a night, for weeks on end?”
Sounds like you are saying that actors somehow cannot tell the difference between action they are involved with on stage, and the actualities of life! a rather bizarre notion. Is a female actor who plays a rape or sexual assault victim on stage somehow suspect if she claims to have been assaulted outside of the theater? I had a friend who was a sexual predator on adolescents and eventually spent time in jail for it. He specifically chose victims who would lack credibility for various reasons, and if they made accusations he defended himself based on that, making it credible that they were lying for attention. I naively believed him and remained his friend. Eventually he was Caught, tried and convicted. Spacey’s legal strategy is not surprising. My ex-friend has managed to stay out of jail, but I have resisted his efforts to reestablish a friendship.
bachy
Sounds like you are saying that actors somehow cannot tell the difference between action they are involved with on stage, and the actualities of life! a rather bizarre notion.
@Den: On the contrary. I am saying that a more innocent/inexperienced kid who cluelessly walks into a similar situation might be understandably traumatized.
But an actor who portrays a character in a play who is sexually assaulted by his drunken father would need to have a more sophisticated understanding of such situations– and how to deal with them.
What I am questioning here is that Rapp was traumatized to the tune of $40million.
southernway
It’s a farce from the beginning. It should have never been brought to trial, and now because it has, Spacey is even more vilified for trying to defend himself. You go to trial, you take your chances. The question of one bedroom apartment versus studio where the alleged sexual assault happened if truly a insurmountable hurtle for Rapp and brings into question everything about this case. The causation of his distress truly is of his own making, not Spacey’s or anyone else’s except maybe his parents who seem to have no blame whatsoever in the custodial care of their child at 14, not 16 not 17, but 14. They should be looking in the mirror no matter how cracked.
Cam
I see you brought on multiple screenames again to defend Spacey….too bad Spacey has already lost other cases, and also already apologized to Rapp when this first came out. Oooops!
Ronbo
Someone please call Cam and explain the difference between arbitration with the producers of House of Cards and Rapp, who was apparently parentless, underage, child attending adult parties with Hollywood stars, drug acutromon and gliterarti. The horrors of having millionaires and stars giving you rapt attention!
So if Rapp got an apology … does this mean this is about Money? Let’s see if sloshed Kevie got justice: lost his job, lost his career, owing $31,000,000.00, laughing stock, cancelled.
Just as with Jeffrey Epstein, they let Prince Andrew and some presidents get away with the actual sex part. Who arranged the party where Rapp was abused by the drunken star? That’s this story’s Ghislaine. Difficult name – reminds me of Jizz Layin.
Is Kevin worse than Prince Andrew and the Presidential glitterarti who had actual sex with underage girls?
Invader7
Kevin, Kevin, Kevin… Girl you’ve lost it..
inbama
Shameless little gold digger.
i remember how Rapp told his story (right here on Queerty): He went to Spacey’s party, decided everyone was too old to socialize with, so he “innocently” laid down on Spacey’s bed. When the last guest left, drunken Spacey stumbled into the bedroom, found Rapp there and got on top of him. Rapp pushed him off, and Spacey walked him to the door.
In my teens, i put myself in lots of situations like this with older men – and then backed out when it was something I wasn’t ready for. Agreed, no adult should involve himself with a minor, but when you say “no” and that’s the end of it, claiming lifelong damages and going for 40 million looks like a hustle.
Cam
Except Spacey just lost a multi million dollar lawsuit against Netflix because the charges against him were proven.
But I LOVE how triggered the right wing gets whenever transpeople or women are mentioned, or whenever a child molester might face consequences.
barryaksarben
I am against rape but I too had a few occasions while underage but knowing what I was doing. SO many gays Kevins age had similar thing happen to them but just moved on. Having an older man lay on him and getting off when told no isn’t an attack in my book. Again Why was this CHILD at an adult party and if they were all too old for him to socialize with why did he not leave? It seem very much a he said / he said and to have his life being destroyed for it seems wrong. The other stories and accusers I know nothing about and so can’t. comment.
Ronbo
Cam, please think befor writing. Netflix won their civil lawsuit, not Rapp. Netflix did not address these allegations and the courts declined to hear Rapp’s legal case. This is a civil case – not a criminal case.
Please Cam, stop posting. People read the comments and I don’t want them to read your comments and think that our community can’t even get the basic facts right. “Stop it Debbie your are embarrassing us*. Special thanks to Downtown Julie Brown
abfab
Ed Harris gets on top of this dude….that’s hot. A famous stud flirted with me when I was 14….do I still have time to sue?
Cam
And the right wing troll brings out multiple screenames to defend child molestation.
Ronbo
Cam, please address the issues instead of attacking people. Your personal attacks and insults indicate that you have insufficient intelligence to understand most issues. All you seem to do is scream sockpuppet – yet you don’t even have the depth of knowledge to call it what it is. You just don’t stop – almost as if you are being paid to post.
You might be a Russian spy trying to undermine our trust in this community. Or just plain old dumb. Address issues, not with personal attacks, but with logic and reason.
OrdinaryJoe
Ouch. This isn’t going to be easy to recover from:
Keller also quizzed Rapp on why he hadn’t talked about the incident with his therapist.
“You did not tell him about what you consider to be one of the most traumatic events of your life?” asked Keller.
“It didn’t come up in my thinking in any aspect of what I was talking about,” Rapp replied.
Cam
Except Rapp reported the incident in 2000 and the Advocate censored the name from the article. But keep trying to insinuate this is new.
I also love the fact that you were so eager to defend a child molester you burned a ton of your screenames.
Cam
The same troll account that defends Matt Gaetz, Josh Duggar, and Trump is defending Spacey.
Tell ya all you need to know.
johncp56
I was having sex by 14 but no one ever pushed it on me, and a 26 year old is still sometimes a moron,
Fahd
I think Spacey has a screw loose for allowing these cases to go to trial, the downside risk is enormous. At trial however, the U.S. has an adversarial system – it’s the plaintiff vs. the defendant. Each attorney is supposed to represent his/her client zealously. If the attorneys don’t, they are unethical and “ineffective”. It’s an adverserial process. The judge and rules of court and evidence are there to ensure that the trial is fair and no one crosses a line. Some may find it sickening, but it is what the U.S. legal system envisions. Also, this is a civil case – if you want his cash, you will have to get through his lawyer. But, as I say, Spacey’s a dope for being in court. He should be focusing on getting help for his sex addiction.
southernway
This Cam person is afflicted with some sort of mental disorder- I have no other screen name and yes even a 14 year old can be a calculating and scheming person.
abfab
Most here have stopped ”feeding the troll” Ignore her. A mental disorder is an understatement.
GlobeTrotter
It’s exasperating, but we’ve decided to handle the Cam problem by simply ignoring him. Eventually he gets tired of being ignored and crawls back under his rock.
marshal phillips
Is what Spacey did really worth $40 million? Asking for a friend.
Rugby8
Disgusting title to the article!
His is Innocent without proof and a Trial.
That us how it works in this country
Trial hasn’t concluded.
What was a 14 year old doing at a party for grown-up actor at 2:00am?
This is a distorted mess – Spacey asked him to come into his bedroom and fool around.
The kid said No.
Thats it.
Am I saying Spacey is a Saint? No.
Rapp started all this crap just trying to be relevant. He’s too old now to play young parts. No one is hiring him.
Rapp should be ashamed!
…..as should all the people who automatically fall for this “I was abused” crap and just assume it’s true.
No proof, no crime.
Far too many comments on here just assume “the poor kid” is right. Please.
And Queerty — I’m very dissapointed- National Enquirer type headlines, assuming Spacey is guilty (again, no proof) — 100 years ago it was called Yellow Journalism.
I call it cheap, and ludicrous.
You should be ashamed.
Mister P
There is a world of difference between mounting a legal defense and shaming/blaming the victim.
This is exactly why women don’t want to come forward after a sexual assault.
abfab
Andrea McArdle and Brook Shields were almost always invitied to adult parties. Donnie Osmond, Tatum O’Niel….the list goes on. Some here have no idea about what goes on in the real world.
Kangol2
Particularly the “real world” of the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. It was a different time as even cursory reading of newspapers, magazines, novels, memoirs, autobiographies, etc. or numerous films, TV shows, all attest. People on here who lived through those years probably would also be able to ratify how different things were, particularly around child stars/actors hanging out with adults.
RobF
“You did not tell him about what you consider to be one of the most traumatic events of your life?” asked Keller.
“It didn’t come up in my thinking in any aspect of what I was talking about,” Rapp replied.
Not that traumatic obviously to be discussed in a therapy session. Rapp has also had a very nice career since the incident in 1986. He wasn’t blackballed in any respect. Just jumping the #MeToo bandwagon on something from 36 years ago.
Can I go back and sue any lecherous guy who groped me at a gay bar back in 1986?
abfab
Make sure you find out about their net worth before you waste your time.
Den
Many victims of sexual assault do not discuss it for years, even if they are in therapy. It only comes up when they are ready/able to deal with it. None of us is in a position to make judgements like that for others. And predators seem to have a 6th sense sometimes, putting the moves on those least likely to report problems, or least likely to be believed.
By contrast, some of us regret rebuking those who put the moves on us. I think back sadly on the opportunities I had at 15 to play around with hot staff members of college age at scout camp (being a young redhead). One lifeguard in particular who wanted to “take me for a ride” in his new Jeep. I was too scared by the fact that I wanted him, told him I knew what was on his mind and to leave me alone. He took a straight/clueless friend instead (that I had a secret crush on), who ended up walking back to the camp after dark when the lifeguard put the moves on him. Sadly I remained a virgin until 19.
Joshooeerr
Spacey is quite clearly a bit of a creep. But Rapp is entirely disingenuous. He went to an after-midnight, after-show party at the age of 14. He willingly went into Spacey’s bedroom. He willingly engaged in a degree of flirtation (one might even say foreplay). And when he eventually decided he was in over his head and called a halt Spacey backed off. Where is the assault worth $40m??!!
sistercylon
What part of “he was 14” isn’t connecting for you here? Imagine this was a girl that this happened to. “oH it’S DiffeRenT cuZ hE’s a dUde”. No 14 year old has enough real life experience to navigate something like that, or to know what could happen in that kind of environment.
Ronbo
Oh Sister your convent called and they want you back home in 1944. The solution is to walk away, that’s what the kid did.
sistercylon
Ronbo, this was even more common in 1944.
Ronbo
Sister, reality has been with us … always. The convent needs to introduce you to the Bible. (the taudry and shocking best selling fantasy book in the world)
Before re-birth into “presentism”, know that 14 WAS kind of old in the day. My grandmother engaged at 12, married at 13. My father left home at 14 with his younger and older brothers to work in Washington picking apples. OMG – they slept in the back of a pickup for 3 months! Life is not a guaranteed adventure – you make of it what you can. Lookes like Spacey and Rapp both tried.
The demon is usually alcohol.
jackscott
Anthony Rapp just seems to want attention. I found it interesting that his friend (beautiful John Barrowman) didn’t seem to have the same recollection as Rapp about meeting Spacey. Could Anthony just have been jealous that Kevin was into John (who would be)? In addition, waiting all these years and never telling your therapist (according to reports) just makes me really question the validity of this case. Let’s be honest, Kevin seems like a creep, however, if this was a real issue Anthony could have brought this up years ago! I also had to laugh at his comments about feeling like his profession as an actor required him to watch Kevin’s movies. WTF… if you feel the most traumatic parts of your life were caused by this guy there is no way you would watch his films.
BStewart27
Being molested at 14, even if you go along with it because it feels good, is still traumatic and VERY difficult to even discuss, let alone report, even years later. IMO, the trauma is amplified for gay kids because it does feel good. YYMV.
LegionKeign
Were was the molestation? I don’t understand what crime was committed.
Also, there are a lot of folks who are attacking Spacey just because he seems “creepy”.
When I was 14 I was 6′ 2″ and going to bars. I flirted with older guys and I loved it. Yes, I got into 1 or 2 situations that made me nervous, but I got out of them. Every teen is different maturity wise.
I suspect Rapp had a crush on spacey and tried to act on that crush that night and got spurned.
Now Spacey’s career is in the toilet and Rapp has no choice but to ride this stupid case till the end.
No matter what, nobody is going to WIN in the end.
Ronbo
So the “me too” movement here at Queerty was wrong once again. The editors here need perspective – at least some perspective – even a tiny bit. The jury made their decision PDQ – not guilty even in a civil case!!!
When they push false themes and misinformation, they need to demote or fire the idiot in charge of the yellow journalism. Otherwise, they just keep pushing away from logic and reason – into the self-centered pool of shite. Like his pevious profitable smear of progressive gay candidate Alex Morse, the primary suspect is once again the anti-gay Graham Gremore. How much did Graham earn publishing multiple false stories at Queerty to help Rep. Richard Neal – the neoliberal who protected tRump.
None of us want this crap to continue