Anthony Rapp and another man identified as C.D. are suing Kevin Spacey over alleged instances of sexual assault. The purported events took place in the 1980s, when the plaintiffs would have been about 14 years old.
Rapp, 48, is one of the most well-known musical theater actors of his generation, as well as a veteran of TV and film. In 2017, he became the first of many men to accuse Spacey of sexual misconduct. According to court documents, Rapp met Spacey in 1986 while the former was performing in the Broadway production Precious Sons. Spacey invited the 14-year-old Rapp to a party at his Manhattan apartment. Rapp claims that Spacey made aggressive and unwanted sexual advances, including grabbing his buttocks, forcibly lifting him onto a bed, and lying down on top of his body. Reportedly “fearing for his safety,” Rapp says he “ran into the bathroom of defendant’s apartment.” After hiding there for a few minutes, the boy fled Spacey’s home.
This story shares some similarities to the one reported by the anonymous plaintiff, C.D. In 1981, at the age of 12, C.D. allegedly attended a Spacey acting class in Westchester County, New York. They met again by chance two years later, at which time Spacey invited the minor back to his apartment.
C.D. claims to have performed oral and anal sex on Spacey in the first of a small number of sexual encounters. On their last meeting, Spacey “attempted to sodomize the plaintiff.” As the court documents relate, C.D. “resisted and said ‘No’ multiple times.” When Spacey “continued to attempt to anally sodomize the infant plaintiff,” C.D. freed himself and “fled the defendant’s apartment.”
The lawsuit seeks undisclosed damages for assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. According to court documents, both plaintiffs,
“[S]ustained psychological injuries, including but not limited to, severe emotional distress, humiliation, fright, anger, depression and anxiety; a severe shock to [their] nervous system; and [have[ been caused to suffer mental anguish, emotional and psychological damage as a result thereof, and, upon information and belief, some or all of these injuries are of a permanent and lasting nature; and plaintiff[s]… [have] been forced to abstain from the duties of [their] vocation, and [have] and/or will become obligated to expend sums of money for medical expenses.”
So far, neither Spacey nor his representatives have commented on the lawsuit. The disgraced actor has 20 days to respond to the new legal filing.
In 2017, Spacey offered Rapp an apology of sorts, saying, “If I did behave as he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior.” At that time, Spacey also conflated pedophilia and homosexuality, adding, “I choose now to live as a gay man.”
Since then, two different Spacey accusers have died, and the actor reached a settlement with one of his late accusers’ sons. He also released a pair of bizarre Christmas videos, first in 2018 and again last year. This past May, he compared his own downfall from multiple sexual assault allegations to losing your job during the pandemic.
