Infamous actor Kevin Spacey has emerged somewhat victorious from another legal battle. The Oscar winner’s federal lawsuit involving a massage therapist who accused him of sexual assault was dismissed Monday, according to court documents obtained by The Times.
The dismissal comes nearly four months after the anonymous accuser died unexpectedly ahead of the trial.
Filed in the US District Court in Los Angeles, the case was dismissed with prejudice — meaning that it cannot be refiled. Sky Alves, a special administrator and legal representative for the masseur’s estate, was also appointed and named as the plaintiff for the record instead of the John Doe.
The documents stated, “Alves and (Kevin Spacey) Fowler, acting through counsel ... stipulate and agree to the dismissal with prejudice of this action, including all claims stated against all parties, with each party to bear his or its own attorneys’ fees and costs. The dismissal with prejudice shall occur immediately upon substitution of Alves as plaintiff."
The civil lawsuit, which involved an anonymous masseur who claimed the actor forced him to touch his genitals during a treatment at Spacey’s Malibu home in October 2016, was also dismissed by the masseur’s estate. While Spacey has denied the therapist’s allegations, reported The Los Angeles Times.
“Contrary to some news reports, Mr. Spacey paid no money to ‘settle’ the lawsuit,” Spacey’s attorney Jennifer L. Keller told The Times. “The plaintiff’s estate simply decided to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning it cannot be (refiled) and we agreed to the dismissal.”
In October, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office also said Spacey would not face criminal charges in the sexual-assault case because the “allegations cannot be proved without participation of the victim.”
The dismissal comes about a week after Spacey, who has kept a relatively low profile in the wake of the allegations, posted another ominous video that was interpreted as his way of dealing with the scandals enveloping his life and career.
As he donned his House of Cards persona, Frank Underwood, in the holiday clip, Spacey said that he’d made changes in his life and invited fans to cast their vote “for more good in this world.”
“The next time someone does something you don’t like, you could go on the attack. But you could also hold your fire and do the unexpected. You can ... kill them with kindness,” he said.
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