Disgraced Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey has avoided a high-profile return to the witness stand after reaching a confidential settlement with three men who accused him of sexual assault.
The deal, revealed on Wednesday via a High Court order, effectively shutters a civil case that had been looming over the 66-year-old Oscar winner’s attempts at a professional comeback.
The settlement brings an abrupt halt to proceedings that Judge Christina Lambert had previously scheduled for October of this year. According to court documents obtained by the Press Association, the proceedings are now officially “frozen,” with all parties agreeing to terms contained within a private schedule.
The claimants included actor Ruari Cannon—who notably waived his right to anonymity—and two other men who remained unidentified.
The three alleged that Spacey abused his position of power to assault them between 2000 and 2015, a period during which Spacey served as the influential artistic director of London’s historic “Old Vic” theatre.
For Spacey, this settlement adds to a string of legal victories and dismissals that have defined his life since the #MeToo movement first brought allegations against him in 2017.
In 2023, Spacey was acquitted of nine criminal charges involving four men following a sensational trial. Also in 2022, a jury dismissed a “$40 million” civil lawsuit brought by actor Anthony Rapp. Ruari Cannon had previously sued the Old Vic theatre separately; that case was also settled out of court earlier this month.
Despite the mounting legal resolutions in his favor, the “House of Cards” star remains a pariah in much of the industry.
While he has consistently denied all wrongdoing, the sheer volume of allegations halted a career that once boasted two Academy Awards—one for “The Usual Suspects” and another for American Beauty.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Kevin Spacey has effectively cleared his legal calendar by settling this final UK civil suit out of court, maintaining his streak of avoiding legal liability despite years of allegations.
