The civil lawsuit against actor Kevin Spacey that alleges he sexually assaulted a teenager in the 1980s is expected to be dismissed after attorneys for the accuser said he refused to identify himself.
via: AceShowbiz
Earlier this month (May21), U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled that the male source known as C.D. must publicly confirm his identity in order for the case against Spacey to proceed but, on Thursday (13May21), the accuser’s lawyers explained he would not be revealing his name.
C.D., who claimed the Oscar winner sexually assaulted him when he was just 14, filed his lawsuit against the disgraced actor last September, alongside fellow accuser Anthony Rapp, but the case looks set to be dismissed after the anonymous accuser refused to comply with Kaplan’s request.
In a letter obtained by TMZ, lawyers Richard M. Steigman and Peter J. Saghir wrote, “As we had previously informed the Court, C.D. believes he is unable to withstand the scrutiny and intrusion into his life if his identity is revealed in this matter.”
The pair added that the “unwanted attention” would be “simply too much for him to bear.”
Kaplan maintains C.D. must identify himself because interest in the case is “magnified” due to his allegations being levelled against a public figure.
In his initial ruling, the judge wrote, “The evidence suggests that C.D. knowingly and repeatedly took the risk that any of these individuals at one point or another would reveal his true identity in a manner that would bring that identity to wide public attention, particularly given Spacey’s celebrity. He seeks $40 million in damages. He makes serious charges and, as a result, has put his credibility in issue.”
Meanwhile, Anthony Rapp first accused Spacey, 61, of sexual assault back in October 2017 when he claimed the former “House of Cards” actor had grabbed his buttocks and lifted him onto a bed at a party at Spacey’s home in 1986 when Anthony was also just 14.
Spacey issued a statement at the time, saying he didn’t remember the alleged incident involving Anthony, and apologised “for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunk behavior.”
Spacey’s reps have yet to comment on this latest development.
