Kevin Spaceyis seeking to toss out a $31 million arbitration award arising from his alleged conduct on the set ofHouse of Cards, claiming he did not act inappropriately while filming the Netflix series.
On Friday, Spacey’s lawyers filed an opposition, asking the court to set the motion aside.
The documents continued: “In fact, as the evidence established and the Arbitrator recognized in the Award, the few times Spacey was told that his conduct made someone feel uncomfortable or was in any way unwanted, he stopped.”
Kevin Spacey.Ernesto Ruscio/Getty Images
Though the 2020 ruling found MCR had a right to the millions, which Spacey and his companies M. Profitt Productions and Trigger Street Productions must pay, per the arbitrator’s findings, lawyers for the disgraced actor disagreed. They cited that external allegations against Spacey couldn’t be considered in the proceedings as Netflix was unaware of many of the allegations at the time they decided to cut him from the show.
Representatives for Spacey did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Sexual assault allegations against Spacey firstsurfaced back in 2017 — whenStar TrekactorAnthony Rappaccused the actor of making inappropriate sexual advances toward him when he was only 14 in aBuzzFeed article.
In a statement released in the wake of the allegations, the formerHouse of Cardsactor, 61, said in part that he didn’t remember the alleged incident, apologized for “what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior” and announced, “I choose now to live as a gay man.”
High-profile LBGTQ+ actors likeWanda SykesandBilly Eichnercriticized the statement, with GLAAD cautioning that Spacey coming out should not “deflect” from Rapp’s allegation.
In July 2018,three more people reportedly came forwardto accuse Spacey of sexual assault in England, and in August of that year,the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office received a new sexual assaultcase involving the Oscar winner, reps from the office confirmed to PEOPLE at the time. The office declined to file charges against Spacey.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.
source: people.com
