The attorney for a man who says Kevin Spacey sexually abused him when he was 14 told a Manhattan jury Thursday that the Oscar-winning actor’s denials were “incoherent,” as a civil lawsuit over the alleged abuse comes to a close.
Anthony Rapp, now 50, accused Spacey of making unwanted sexual advances on him in 1986 when he was 14 and Spacey was 26. Spacey denied the allegations on the stand and said he was never alone with the rap.
Rapp’s attorney, Richard Stegman, asked jurors to discredit Spacey’s memory of the events.
“It’s inconsistent. It’s not worthy of your trust,” Steigman said during closing arguments.
The trial began Oct. 6 in Manhattan federal court, just five years after Spacey’s career began with allegations of sexual misconduct. He denied those allegations.
Rapp, who starred in the Broadway musical “Rent,” filed a lawsuit against Spacey in November 2020 for battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
During the trial, Judge Louis A. Kaplan dismissed Rapp’s claim for emotional distress but allowed the case to proceed on his battery claim.
Last week, Spacey’s attorney challenged Rapp’s recollection of the 1986 incident during cross-examination, asking him why he described the encounter as having taken place in the bedroom when Spacey lived in the studio.
Spacey won Oscars for his performances in “American Beauty” and “The Usual Suspects,” but his career largely ended after more than 20 men accused him of sexual misconduct.
Spacey is due to face a criminal trial in London next year after pleading not guilty to five sex offenses related to alleged assaults that took place between 2005 and 2013.