October 20, 2022

"A federal jury in Manhattan found Kevin Spacey not liable for battery... after the actor Anthony Rapp filed a lawsuit accusing Mr. Spacey of climbing on top of him and making a sexual advance when Mr. Rapp was 14."

The NYT reports. 

The 11-person jury in the Federal District Court in Manhattan spent less than 90 minutes deliberating.... The trial hinged on Mr. Rapp’s account of a night in 1986, when, he said, he attended a party at Mr. Spacey’s New York apartment during a Broadway season in which both of them were acting in plays. Mr. Spacey, who was 26 at the time, has denied that such an encounter ever occurred....

This was a tort case, and the burden of proof, which Rapp did not meet, was a mere preponderance of the evidence. 

Spacey testified and "denied that the encounter ever happened... that he had never been alone with Mr. Rapp."

A lawyer for Mr. Spacey, Jennifer L. Keller, also argued in court that Mr. Rapp had fabricated his story by borrowing details from “Precious Sons,” the Broadway play he was in that year. She said that in the play a character drunkenly mistakes his son, played by Mr. Rapp, for his wife, picking him up and lying on top of him in a way that mirrors Mr. Rapp’s allegations.

Mr. Rapp said his encounter with Mr. Spacey was unrelated to the staging of the play....

46 comments:

Joe Smith said...

Really hard to prove an event that far in the past.

But from EVERYTHING I've read, Spacey is a world-class creep.

Mike Sylwester said...

I am old enough to remember when our justice system used to have statutes of limitations.

Ice Nine said...

MeToo, gay version.

gilbar said...

when Mr. Rapp was 14...
The trial hinged on Mr. Rapp’s account of a night in 1986, when, he said, he attended a party at Mr. Spacey’s New York apartment

Moms Dads! here's a ProTip from gilbar.. Do NOT let your 14 year old sons go to late night gay orgies
Seriously, when your 14 year son (or Daughter) says; "i'm going out"
and you say; "where to? "
and your child says, "some old pervert is throwing a latenight party"
JUST SAY NO!

traditionalguy said...

Newest Dem trick to get around a statute of limitations for a crime is suing for damages for slander for calling the accusation a lie. All you need is a corrupt NY Judge and Trump hating Jury. This also lowers the level of proof. Which is handy when there is no proof beyond a story.

Readering said...

Any other suits in the pipeline?

The similarity to the play cuts both ways, assuming it was well known at the time.

Greg The Class Traitor said...

Gee, a Manhattan jury found that it's not "rape rape" when it's homosexual, and done by one of their own.

No #MeToo for you, Anthony Rapp!

M said...

Manhattan. Where money and fame mean more than protecting innocents. Who didn’t see that coming?

Yancey Ward said...

The correct decision given the amount of time that has passed.

Drago said...

Just wait until Alec Baldwin walks away scot-free after shooting a woman point blank in the face in broad daylight in front of dozens of witnesses while violating every on-set gun safety regulation.

Michael K said...

Why did he wait so long ?

Rollo said...

Spacey's defense: He was trying to build a human pyramid and the other eight guys never showed up.

rcocean said...

why is a tort case of simple battery being tried in FEDERAL court? This is absurd.

Owen said...

Michael K @ 5:25: “,Why did he wait so long?” I had the same Q. I think NY passed a law bending the statute of limitations to allow claims for alleged sexual assault before the plaintiff reached adulthood. Some theory of “recovered memories,” I guess.

A case like this —pure he-said/he-said— shows how that law enables the wasting of yet more money in bitter and slanderous warfare.

Iman said...

“The greatest trick Kev Spacey ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't fuck young boys.”

Narr said...

Spacey is known for his love of the stage. Hands.

And young talent, bending over the casting couch.

n.n said...

Boy Lives Matter (BLM)... and, go.

gspencer said...

FU - Frank Underwood - weasels out of another jam.

madAsHell said...

I'm sorry. School me.

What is "Liable for Battery"??

Ralph L said...

Prince Andrew would like his, or someone's, money back.

narciso said...

See also mel profitt incestuos hillbilly malthusian drug dealer

Tom T. said...

Rapp was acting in a Broadway play at age 14, and he went to an after-show party where he met Spacey. Whether through incompetence or indifference, it sounds like his parents let him have too much freedom. Rapp was a busy child actor; he was one of the kids in Adventures In Babysitting, for instance.

Spacey has been accused by over a dozen other people. He's going to have a hard time shaking this reputation.

Curious George said...

Drago said...
Just wait until Alec Baldwin walks away scot-free after shooting a woman point blank in the face..."

Not to quibble, because she died from the wound, but she was shot in the chest.

Readering said...

Rcocean: I assume diversity jurisdiction. Spacey not resident of NY. Common.

Readering said...

If Spacey resident of NY and sued in state court by nonresident, not permitted to remove.

gadfly said...

Drago said...
Just wait until Alec Baldwin walks away scot-free after shooting a woman point blank in the face in broad daylight in front of dozens of witnesses while violating every on-set gun safety regulation.

Why speculate? Kyle Rittenhouse walked after murdering three people with an AR-15-type rifle.

gadfly said...

Drago said...
Just wait until Alec Baldwin walks away scot-free after shooting a woman point blank in the face in broad daylight in front of dozens of witnesses while violating every on-set gun safety regulation.

Why speculate? Kyle Rittenhouse walked after murdering three people with an AR-15-type rifle.

wendybar said...

gadfly said...
Drago said...
Just wait until Alec Baldwin walks away scot-free after shooting a woman point blank in the face in broad daylight in front of dozens of witnesses while violating every on-set gun safety regulation.

Why speculate? Kyle Rittenhouse walked after murdering three people with an AR-15-type rifle.

10/21/22, 2:18 AM


gadfly never heard of self defense. He think that little antifa thugs should be able to burn down cities and attack people trying to stop them from destroying peoples livelihoods.

Don't be a fool like gadfly, who obviously doesn't pay attention to truth.

donald said...

“Why speculate? Kyle Rittenhouse walked after murdering three people with an AR-15-type rifle.“

It’s obvious that at least one despicable piece of shit did not watch or follow that trial in any way.

farmgirl said...

Wasn’t someone also pointing a gun at Rittenhouse’s head at the time?

Big Mike said...

One set of laws for the well-connected, another for everyone else.

Big Mike said...

You can see that gadfly is upset that self-defense is still a defense to a murder charge. Sad what the US has come to!

And Rittenhouse only sent two rioters down to Hell, as they deserved. One is merely crippled and the Devil has to wait to receive him.

Robert Cook said...

"Gee, a Manhattan jury found that it's not 'rape rape' when it's homosexual, and done by one of their own."

You obviously haven't served on a Manhattan jury. I have, numerous times over 40 years, on civil and criminal trials. They are made up typically of everyday working folks, and are generally conservative in their morals. They are not an armada of debauched, drug-taking, child-raping, night-life living degenerates.

The last time I was called for jury duty, however, Donald Trump Jr. was among those of us waiting to see if we would be picked. (This was during Trump's term in office, and Don Jr. did have a Secret Service detail attached to him. They were discreet and it took me some while to spot them.) He was called up to the jury box to be questioned in voir dire. He answered the questions, and he was not selected for jury duty. (For that matter, neither was I. They filled their jury + alternates, and I never even had to go through voie dire. Rare for me, as I almost always was picked for jury service when I have been called.)

Robert Cook said...

Rittenhouse is a little punk who went to a demonstration uncalled, of his own volition, armed with a military-style weapon; he was itching to "be a man" and take out some people. He succeeded.

gilbar said...

Robert Cook (as usual) defeats his Own argument, when he says..

..served on a Manhattan jury. I have, numerous times over 40 years, on civil and criminal trials.
They are made up typically of everyday working folks, and are generally conservative in their morals.
I almost always was picked for jury service when I have been called.

I'd think Even Robert Cook could see the flaws in this argument.
show of hands; when you think of 'everyday working folks.. generally conservative in their morals'
Does Robert Cook come to mind? He Brags that he 'almost always was picked for jury service'

Robert Cook said...

Gilbar:

Poor try. FAIL.

gahrie said...

Rittenhouse is a little punk who went to a demonstration uncalled, of his own volition, armed with a military-style weapon; he was itching to "be a man" and take out some people. He succeeded.

Now describe the punks who attacked him at the riot (not demonstration) and the rioters themselves.

Greg The Class Traitor said...

gadfly said...
Why speculate? Kyle Rittenhouse walked after murdering three people with an AR-15-type rifle.

Blogger Robert Cook said...
Rittenhouse is a little punk who went to a demonstration uncalled, of his own volition, armed with a military-style weapon; he was itching to "be a man" and take out some people. He succeeded.

Wow, you guys are special

1: He was asked by a owner of the car lot to help protect it from looters, because the family's other lots had been trashed in previous nights to the tune of $hundreds of thousands in losses
2: When did it become the case that you had to be "invited" to go to a "demonstration"? I guess Cookie doesn't believe in that whole 1st Amendment thing
3: He was "itching" to help people. Which is why he wasted his time and own money medically treating people who were hurt while "demonstrating".
Left wing scum bag people, not ordinary decent human beings
Personally, I would have stood back on hoped for infection, but he actually wanted to help them
4: So is "military styole" the phrase given to the mind number robots of the left?
It's a civilian hunting rifle, and it was perfectly legal for him to carry it. Which is why the prosecution made no attempt to prove he'd committed a crime by doing so, and why the judge did not send any charges about him carrying it to the jury
5: He was gratuitously assaulted by left wing scum, after no provocation on his part, other than, or, his attempts to put out felony arson.
If he hadn't been armed, he'd be dead.
I guess, being utterly morally wretched piles of garbage, gadfly and Cookie are very unhappy that Kyle wasn't murdered that night
6: But the rest of us, who are decent human beings, are very happy he wasn't murdered.
We are very happy he had the tools for self defense available, and used them
We are very happy he displayed excellent trigger control and fire discipline. no "spray and pray" from Kyle
7: Kyle was physically attacked by 4 people, all of who were attempting to kill him
1, sadly, escaped. And the corrupt prosecutors of Kenosha made no attempt to find this criminal
1 was injured, having been shot in the arm while he was trying to kill Kyle with the illegally carried handgun he had in the hand attached to that arm
2, happily, are dead, never to threaten any other lawful, peaceful, demonstrators and bystanders

Unlike the leftists there that night, all of Kyle's actions were legal, and morally correct.

That, of course, is why Gadfly and Cookie hate him and wish he was dead

Darcy said...

I have wondered just how many of the Kevin Spacey allegations are true since I don't trust Hollywood to get this right by any means. He obviously enraged all of the right people. I'd love to hear his side. Was he a closeted conservative, by chance? Only half joking.

Robert Cook said...

"Now describe the punks who attacked him at the riot (not demonstration) and the rioters themselves."

Well, they didn't kill anyone. That seems the most salient difference.

Robert Cook said...

"If he hadn't been armed, he'd be dead.

...4 people, all of who were attempting to kill him"


Assuming facts not in evidence.

"He was gratuitously assaulted by left wing scum, after no provocation on his part...."

Who knows? Maybe they saw him as a lone nut with a gun and they were trying to prevent him from doing harm.

Robert Cook said...

"...the rest of us, who are decent human beings...."

Assuming facts not in evidence.

SGT Ted said...

'..4 people, all of who were attempting to kill him"

Assuming facts not in evidence.

"He was gratuitously assaulted by left wing scum, after no provocation on his part...."

Who knows? Maybe they saw him as a lone nut with a gun and they were trying to prevent him from doing harm.'



The jury disagreed with you on all counts.

Greg The Class Traitor said...

Robert Cook said...
"If he hadn't been armed, he'd be dead.

...4 people, all of who were attempting to kill him"

Assuming facts not in evidence.


Lying about the facts that are in evidence. Exactly what we expect of you, Cookie

1: The first scumbag threatened to kill him, and then ran at him, diving for him. Managed to hit Kyle despite having been shot.

If Kyle hadn't shot him, he would have killed Kyle.

2: The scumbag with the gun was pointing it at Kyle to shoot and kill him when Kyle shot him.

The others were the leading part of a mob chasing after Kyle and attacking him, for the purpose of slowing him down so the rest of the mob could catch up, and give him hugs and kisses and flowers and chocolates.

oh, wait, they were going to catch up to him and beat him to death.

This is obvious to everyone with a functioning brain.

What's your excuse?


"...the rest of us, who are decent human beings...."

Assuming facts not in evidence.


No, Cookie, you're just once again demonstrating that you have no clue what a decent human being acts like

Greg The Class Traitor said...

Who knows? Maybe they saw him as a lone nut with a gun and they were trying to prevent him from doing harm.'

He was running to the police to turn himself in. anyone who wanted Kyle to "do no more harm" would have let him run to the cops.

So, Cookie, stupid, ignorant, or dishonest? Which one are you?

Greg The Class Traitor said...

Who knows? Maybe they saw him as a lone nut with a gun and they were trying to prevent him from doing harm.'

So your'e saying they were vigilantes?

You're saying that Kyle posed no threat to them, but they wanted to "punish the criminal" so they ran towards him and attacked him?

That's a crime, even in a "Stand Your Ground" State.

Kyle wasn't attacking anyone. Was running away from all the "protesters", running towards the cops.

But your vigilantes, according to you, chased after him and attacked him with threats of great bodily injury.

Thank you for so clearly establishing that the lefties were a bunch of criminals, and Kyle's actions were entirely lawful