*The following article contains a discussion of sexual assault.
In 2017 – amid the rise of the #metoo movement – actor Anthony Rapp revealed to Buzzfeed News a shocking incident that happened in 1986, when Rapp was 14 years old.
According to Rapp, fellow actor Kevin Spacey, who was 26 at the time, rode on him and made sexual advances towards him.
Rapp alleged in the interview that at the end of a night after a party, Spacey “picked him up, put him on his bed and climbed on top of him” where he attempted sexual advances before Rapp can’t run away.
Rapp sued Spacey for assault, battery and intentionally inflicting emotional distress.
The case was eventually reduced to the sexual assault charge as the judge was convinced by Spacey’s team to drop the other two charges.
On Friday, the jury sided with Spacey, finding no evidence that he sexually abused Rapp in 1986.
After the verdict was delivered, Rapp took to Twitter to share a powerful and heartfelt message that read:
“I am deeply grateful to have the opportunity to have my case heard before a jury, and I thank the members of the jury for their service.”
“Introducing this lawsuit has always been a matter of spotlighting, as part of a broader movement against all forms of sexual violence.”
“I pledge to continue to advocate for efforts to ensure that we can live and work in a world free from sexual violence of any kind. I sincerely hope that victims can continue to tell their stories and fight to obtain accounts.
Tweets of support poured in.
Spacey’s attorney issued a statement after the verdict was delivered:
“Mr. Spacey is grateful to live in a country where citizens have the right to be tried by impartial jurors who make their decision based on evidence and not rumor or social media.”
In August, Spacey was ordered to pay Card castle producers $31 million to cover losses they suffered in firing the actor after he breached his contract by violating the company’s sexual harassment policy.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, help is there. You can reach RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline by calling 1-800-656-4673, using their live chat tool: https://www.rainn.org/get-helpor visit the National Sexual Violence Resource Center website website.
In Canada, help is available through the Ending Violence Association of Canada website.
International resources can be found via the Rape Crisis Network Europe website.
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