Kevin Spacey defends himself: My father was a white supremacist 2:56
(CNN) --
In a victory for Kevin Spacey, a New York jury found Thursday that he is not liable for assault over allegations that he carried actor Anthony Rapp and briefly lay on him on a bed after a party in 1986.
Jurors deliberated for nearly an hour and concluded that Rapp did not prove that Spacey "touched a sexual or intimate part" of Rapp.
Judge Lewis Kaplan formally dismissed the case.
Lawyers sitting on either side of Spacey immediately put their hands behind his back as the verdict was read.
Best known for his role on "Star Trek: Discovery," Rapp claimed that in 1986, Spacey, then 26, invited Rapp, then 14, to his Manhattan home, where he picked Rapp up, threw him into his bed, grabbed his buttocks and pressed his groin against Rapp's body without his consent.
The judge dismissed Rapp's assault claim before the trial began and dismissed his claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress after Rapp's attorneys concluded his case, leaving the jury to decide only the assault claim.
Under New York law, assault is touching another person, without their consent, in a way that a reasonable person would find offensive.
In his closing argument, Rapp's attorney, Richard Steigman, suggested that Spacey twisted his trial testimony to suit his defense, pointing to Spacey's apology to Rapp in 2017, when he first spoke about what happened.
advertising
"Don't listen to what I said in real time. Now I'm defending a lawsuit. Listen to me now. I'm clear on it," Steigman said, mocking Spacey's attempt to convince the jury that he was coerced by publicists into giving the earlier statement from the court. now he regrets it.
Kevin Spacey reveals why he didn't come out sooner: My father was a white supremacist
Steigman called Spacey's testimony rehearsed compared to the raw testimony his client gave.
"When you're rehearsed, and you're a world-class actor and you're following the script and following someone else's testimony, you can take the stand and be perfectly polished," Steigman said.
"When you just come to court and tell the truth about your experience, especially one like this, it's a bit tricky."
Steigman also rejected the defense's argument that Rapp wanted to expose Spacey's sexual orientation.
"The point of the story is not that Kevin Spacey is gay. It's that he sexually abused him when he was 14 years old. That's what he's sharing with people, he's sharing his experience, no more, no less. Where's the proof?" that he told any media outlet, you know, Kevin Spacey is gay, should you really post this?"
A sketch of Kevin Spacey in the courtroom being questioned by attorney Richard on Tuesday.
Credit: Jane Rosenberg/Reuters
Spacey's attorney, Jennifer Keller, began her closing argument by addressing the shadow of the Me Too movement in the case, stating that Rapp "jumped his bandwagon" into the movement when he denounced it.
"This is not a team sport where you're either on the side of the Me Too, or you're on the other side," Keller told the jury.
"This is a very different place. Our system requires proof, evidence, objective support for charges provided to an impartial jury. As polarized as society is today, that should have no place here."
Keller suggested that Rapp took his accusations against Spacey from a nearly identical scene from the Broadway show "Precious Sons," in which Rapp was performing with Ed Harris in 1986 at the time of the alleged incident.
Kevin Spacey returns to court: these are the legal problems he faces
"We are here because Mr. Rapp falsely claimed abuse that never occurred at a party that never took place in a room that did not exist," he said.
Spacey's attorney concluded her arguments by asking the jury not to compromise their verdict by finding Spacey liable for assault but awarding Rapp only one dollar in damages.
"You are here to be a judge of the facts. Did it happen? No. A penny is too much for something that didn't happen. And for Mr. Spacey this is not about the money. For Mr. Spacey this is about the truth of that day and that he was falsely accused," Keller said.
Jurors began deliberating on Thursday afternoon.
-- CNN's Sonia Moghe contributed to this report.
kevin spacey