KEVIN SPACEY OVERTURNS UK RULING IN SEX ASSAULT CASE OVER LAWYERS’ MISTAKE

Tue 07 May 2024:

On Tuesday, Kevin Spacey, the Oscar-winning American actor, overturned a court ruling in London that had effectively found him liable for an alleged sexual assault on a British man. This reversal came about due to an error by his legal team, who inadvertently failed to serve a defence to a civil lawsuit.

Spacey is facing litigation at the High Court in London brought forth by an anonymous individual, who claims to have been sexually assaulted by the Hollywood actor in 2008. Spacey has consistently denied these allegations.

In 2022, the 64-year-old actor was charged in the UK with nine sexual offenses involving four men spanning from 2004 to 2013. However, following a highly publicized trial last year, Spacey was acquitted of all charges.

One of the four individuals who accused Spacey subsequently filed a civil lawsuit against him at London’s High Court in 2022.

Earlier this year, a judge issued a “judgment in default” in favor of the plaintiff, granting him the ruling without the need for a trial, as Spacey’s legal team had failed to serve a defense within the required timeframe.

Adam Speker, a lawyer representing Spacey, said it was a “genuine error” by the actor’s legal team from the prominent British law firm Carter-Ruck.

Speker argued it would be unfair for the claimant to effectively win his lawsuit against Spacey without a trial when he had been “disbelieved on oath by a jury”.

Judge Jeremy Cook ruled in Spacey’s favour and overturned the judgment in default against the actor.

“The defendant’s solicitors have made an error,” Cook said. “In my view, that error should not be visited upon the defendant.”

The claimant’s lawsuit against Spacey will now move to a full trial, after Tuesday’s verdict.

The decision comes a day after Channel 4 in Britain aired a documentary involving testimony from numerous men who accused Spacey of inappropriate behaviour.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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