Actor Kevin Spacey is set to face civil claims of sexual assault from three men at the High Court in London on 12 October next year.
According to BBC News, the men have sued the actor, alleging that he assaulted them between 2000 and 2013.
At a hearing this week, a judge said the claims could be heard in a single trial or in three consecutive hearings to consider each case separately.
Spacey has formally denied two of the claims and is yet to file a defence in the third.
He was separately cleared of nine sexual offence charges at a criminal trial in London in 2023.
Two of the men who accused the Oscar-winning actor during that criminal trial have also brought civil cases. One man, known only as LNP, alleges that Spacey “deliberately assaulted” him on around 12 occasions between 2000 and 2005.
Another man, referred to as GHI, says he met Spacey through a workshop at London’s Old Vic theatre and claims he suffered psychiatric harm and financial loss following an alleged assault in 2008. Spacey was artistic director of the Old Vic between 2004 and 2013.
GHI first issued proceedings in 2022, but the case was paused while the criminal charges were dealt with.
A third claimant, Ruari Cannon, has waived his right to anonymity.
He alleges that Spacey groped him at a party after a show’s press night.
Spacey has previously acknowledged “bad behaviour” and at times being “too handsy”, but said he would not use the term “grope” to describe his conduct.
At his 2023 criminal trial, Spacey was acquitted of seven counts of sexual assault, one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
Source: BBC News
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