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A federal judge dismissed part of a $40 million lawsuit against Kevin Spacey on Monday, moments after actor Anthony Rapp finished his case arguing the A-lister sexually assaulted him when he was a teenager.
The dismissal of Rapp’s claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress marks a major blow to the highly publicized civil case against Spacey. It also signals another legal win for the former House of Cards actor, who has been accused of sexual assault or misconduct by at least a dozen people.
Manhattan federal Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled that Rapp only has one outstanding battery claim against Spacey in his $40 million suit after Spacey’s lawyers asked for a total dismissal. Spacey’s lawyers argued that Rapp’s team was improperly using the New York Child Victim’s Act in trying to hold the actor liable for Rapp’s claims—insisting that there was no evidence the alleged encounter was “for the purpose of sexual gratification.”
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