The man who accused Kevin Spacey in 2017 of sexually assaulting him in a Nantucket, Mass., bar in July 2016, has filed a civil lawsuit against the former House of Cards actor.
In regards to the alleged incident, Spacey, 59, has already been charged with indecent assault and battery. He pleaded not guilty on Jan. 7.
Attorney Mitchell Garabedian announced the lawsuit on Wednesday. According to ABC affiliate WCVB, the plaintiff requested a trial and is now seeking damages “in an amount to be determined by a jury.”
In the document, Garabedian claimed his client “suffered and will continue to suffer” from “severe and permanent mental distress and emotional injuries” pertaining to the incident.
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The criminal case came to fruition in November 2017 after former Boston TV anchor Heather Unruh came forward accusing Spacey of sticking his hand down her then-18-year-old son’s pants. He supposedly grabbed her son’s genitals at the Club Car restaurant where he worked as a busboy in July 2016.
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Unruh’s son told the authorities that he wanted to get a picture with Spacey, so went over to talk to him after his shift ended, as reported by the Associated Press,
The man also claimed that Spacey bought him a number of drinks before attempting to persuade him to come home with him. The actor then allegedly unzipped the accuser’s trousers and began to grope him for three minutes.
The supposed victim then told police that he tried to move Spacey’s hands away, but the actor persisted. He claimed he wasn’t sure what to do as he didn’t want to get in trouble for drinking under the age of 21.
He claimed to have left the scene once Spacey went to the bathroom.
In response, Spacey’s lawyers called the allegations “patently false,” claiming both parties simply partook in “consensual flirtation,” later questioning why the supposed victim did not attempt to stop Spacey if his testimony was true.
Furthermore, they accused him of lying in an attempt to take advantage of Spacey and make money from him through a potential civil suit.
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The lawsuit reads, according to WCVB: “By engaging in the explicit sexual behavior and lewd and lascivious conduct described above, defendant Kevin Spacey Fowler intended to inflict emotional distress upon the Plaintiff.”
“… Or defendant Kevin Spacey Fowler should have known that emotional distress was the likely result of defendant Kevin Spacey Fowler’s conduct,” it adds.
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Through his team of lawyers, Spacey has both denied the allegations and claimed his innocence in the ongoing criminal case, according to the Boston Globe.
The actor’s attorneys later accused the alleged victim of deleting specific text messages from his phone that would supposedly support Spacey’s defence.
As a result, the judge has ordered the accuser to surrender his cellphone to the defence, however, Garabedian claimed that he could not locate the phone.
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As reported by CBS affiliate WBZ, the plaintiff has been given until July 8 to find the cellphone and turn it in, or else he must appear in court with his mother to provide an explanation regarding its whereabouts.
Global News reached out to one of Spacey’s legal representatives on Thursday. As of this writing, they have not yet made comment.
— With files from Maham Abedi and the Associated Press
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