Kevin Spacey sex assault accuser dies before case goes to trial

A massage therapist who accused actor Kevin Spacey of sexual assault has died before the case could go to trial.

The anonymous alleged victim, listed as John Doe in his lawsuit, claimed Spacey groped him while he was giving the actor spa treatment at a house in Malibu, California, in October 2016.

The man sued the Oscar winner for sexual battery, gender violence, battery, assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress and false imprisonment. Spacey denied the allegations.

Spacey has denied the allegations.

The accuser’s death, revealed in a filing by Spacey’s lawyers at a California court, has left the lawsuit in doubt. The only detail about the man's death was that it was "recent".

The man’s lawyer Genie Harrison said the filing announcing his death was “undignified, insensitive and inappropriate”. She accused Spacey’s lawyers of legal manoeuvring to get the case dismissed.

The man's estate now has 90 days to get substituted into the lawsuit to continue it.

Ms Harrison said in a statement: "Filing the notice yesterday was unnecessary and contemptible. I'm not surprised, however, that Spacey prematurely filed the notice in an attempt to gain the advantage of a ticking clock.

"Mr Doe's family must now open his estate at the same time as planning a funeral and processing their grief."

She described the accuser as a "dignified, kind, middle-aged man" who was left "traumatised" by the alleged attack, adding: "His fight for justice is still very much alive."

The anonymous accuser, who said he decided not to reveal his identity for fear of "harassment and personal embarrassment," filed a lawsuit against Spacey, 60, in September last year.

He alleged that during a massage in October 2016, Spacey forced him to touch his genitals and before asking if he could perform oral sex on him.

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The case, which was filed at Los Angeles Superior Court, has since been moved to a federal court. A pre-trial conference had been scheduled for May next year.

Spacey, a two-time Academy Award-winner, was a major Hollywood star before his career was engulfed by allegations of sexual impropriety.

He was one of the first high-profile public figures to be accused after Harvey Weinstein's downfall in October 2017.

Earlier this year, prosecutors dropped a sexual assault case against him in the state of Massachusetts after the alleged victim stopped cooperating.

Spacey, who was artistic director at London's The Old Vic theatre between 2004 and 2015, faces six allegations of sexual assault in the UK between 1996 and 2013.

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