Kevin Spacey Lands Major Victory in Ongoing Sexual Misconduct Lawsuit

Kevin Spacey earns a win in his ongoing sexual misconduct suit after a judge dismissed one of the suits from an anonymous alleged victim. In a new development, Judge Lewis Kaplan has dismissed the complaint of an anonymous man, only referred to in documents as “C.D.,” after the victim refused to identify himself in court. The man alleges that Spacey sexually abused him in the early 1980s when he was still underage.

Spacey’s legal team attempted to have the whole case dismissed completely previously when the judge ruled on May 3 that the case couldn’t move forward if “C.D.” didn’t reveal himself to the court. The man was given 10 days to amend his statement, but instead sent in a letter on the tenth day informing the court that he would not appear in court nor would he reveal his identity by changing his statement to include his name. He also mentioned that he understood the consequences of his action in the letter, which led the judge to officially close the case.

Peter Saghir reported to the judge in a March letter that C.D. felt “extreme anxiety and psychological distress at even the thought of being required to proceed publicly.” Though, he would grudgingly drop the claim against the actor if judge Kaplan ordered C.D. to appear in court. C.D. was looking for more than $40 million in damages. As for the reason behind Kaplan’s decision, the judge said the victim’s privacy interest was not a larger legal importance than the presumption of open judicial proceedings and the prejudice to Spacey’s defense that would occur if he could proceed anonymously. It could also lead Spacey’s supporters to not know to come forward. C.D. has come forward anonymously on numerous occasions dating back to the 1990s, speaking to an unknown number of people, according to Kaplan. He infamously worked with New York Magazine for a story that was published online in Vulture in 2017.

At the time, the judge said “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.” Kaplan also noted that C.D. brought along Star Trek: Discovery star Anthony Rapp, who also accused Spacey of abuse.