What happened

Actor Kevin Spacey has agreed to settle with three men who brought civil claims against him alleging sexual assault. The settlement ends the civil case that was due to go to trial in London in October. The precise terms were not disclosed.

The timeline in brief

  • Allegations cover incidents said to have occurred between 2000 and 2013.
  • Spacey was acquitted in a United Kingdom criminal trial in 2023 that involved four men.
  • Following the criminal case, two of those men launched civil suits at the High Court in London.
  • In November, it was determined that Spacey would face a new civil trial, but the settlement now removes that matter from the October calendar.

Who the claimants are and what they said

  • One claimant, who has court-granted anonymity, originally filed a civil claim in 2022 but paused it during the criminal proceedings. He says an assault occurred in August 2008 and claims psychiatric harm and financial loss.
  • A second anonymous claimant alleges Spacey assaulted him 12 times between 2000 and 2005.
  • The third claimant, Ruari Cannon, waived anonymity. He says Spacey groped him at a party in 2013 while Cannon was performing at the Old Vic, where Spacey served as artistic director. Cannon spoke about his allegations in the 2024 Channel 4 documentary Spacey Unmasked.

Spaceys response and other legal actions

Spacey has denied all allegations. He has said that when given a proper forum to defend himself, the claims have not held up. In his words: "Each time I have been given the time and a proper forum to defend myself, the allegations have failed under scrutiny and I have been exonerated."

Separately, Spacey faced a 2022 civil suit in New York brought by actor Anthony Rapp. A jury in that case found Spacey not liable.

What we still do not know

The settlement terms were not released, so there is no public information on whether any payment was made or whether other conditions were attached. With the agreement in place, the planned London civil trial will not proceed.

Bottom line: The three civil claims against Spacey have been settled before the scheduled October trial, but the details remain private and Spacey continues to deny the allegations.