A young man who accused Kevin Spacey of groping him in a Nantucket, Massachusetts bar in 2016 has dropped his lawsuit, according to Spacey's lawyer on Friday. The Oscar-winning actor still faces a criminal charge. He pleaded not guilty to indecent assault and battery in January. He is due back in court on Monday. The accuser's lawyer, Mitchell Garabedian, announced in an email that the suit filed June 26 in Nantucket Superior Court has been voluntarily dismissed. No reason was provided by Garabedian or in the court filing. The suit asked for a jury trial and damages for emotional distress, medical bills and other bills. According to the court filing, the suit was dismissed "with prejudice," which means it cannot be refiled. The lawsuit being dropped could indicate a private settlement was reached, or that persecutors have asked the accuser to drop with over a timing issue. The suit was filed months into the ongoing criminal case.
A three year statute of limitations in the case would run out this week. The legal development could have significance for the criminal case against Spacey, legal experts say. Garabedian's client alleged Spacey got him drunk and sexually assaulted him at the Club Car restaurant where the then-18-year-old man worked as a busboy. The criminal case has been centered on the cellphone used by the accuser the night of the alleged groping, which the defense says it needs in order to recover text messages it says will support Spacey's innocence. Nantucket District Court Judge Thomas Barrett has ordered the man to give the phone over to the defense, but his attorney says they cannot find it. The judge has given them until Monday to produce the phone. Spacey has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than two dozen men.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Sarah PearceI just like to let people know what's going on in this world Archives
July 2019
Categories |