Kevin Spacey wins case to overturn Supreme Court ruling in sexual abuse case

Kevin Spacey has won a case seeking to overturn a Supreme Court conviction against him in a sexual abuse lawsuit after his lawyers failed to file his defense in a timely manner.

In 2022, the Oscar-winning actor was sued in the High Court in London by a man who claimed he was sexually abused by Mr Spacey and suffered “psychiatric damage”.

The civil suit was stayed after Mr Spacey was charged – and later acquitted – in a criminal case for a series of sex offences alleged against him by four men between 2001 and 2013.

At a hearing on Tuesday, the court learned that the actor’s lawyers from the Carter Ruck law firm were supposed to file a written defense after the criminal proceedings were concluded, but had failed to do so.

Earlier this year, Mr Spacey received a default judgment in a civil case regarding his liability.

Adam Speker KC, representing Mr Spacey, applied to set aside the default judgment, describing the failure to file the documents as a “genuine error on the part of his counsel”.

The lawyer told the hearing in London that it would be unfair to hold a damages hearing and that the disputed allegations should be brought to court.

Judge David Cook overturned the civil default judgment, saying the lawyers had “quite frankly screwed up.”

He said: “In my view there is no excuse for missing the date.

“The fact is simply that the defendant’s lawyers made a mistake in this case.

“In my view, this error should not be blamed on the defendant.”

Judge Cook added: “In the interests of justice, these charges should be tried in court. The default judgment should therefore be set aside.”

Claire Glasgow of Fieldfisher, representing the claimant, said after the hearing: “We are pleased that the judge recognised the seriousness of the claim and directed the court to proceed with the hearing.

“Our client seeks justice in the civil courts for the serious allegations against Mr. Spacey, regardless of the outcome of the criminal trial.”

The hearing comes after Mr Spacey denied allegations of inappropriate behaviour ahead of the broadcast of a Channel 4 documentary.

The show, titled “Spacey Unmasked,” was first broadcast on Monday and is said to include statements from men “about events they believe took place between 1976 and 2013.”

Before the show, the 64-year-old actor said in an interview with former GB News presenter Dan Wootton: “I take full responsibility for my past behaviour and actions, but I cannot and will not accept responsibility or apologise to anyone who has made things up about me or exaggerated stories about me.”

“I have never told anyone that I would help them in their career if they did me sexual favors, never.”

Mr Spacey added: “I have obviously had an affair with some men who thought they could advance their careers by being in a relationship with me.

“But there was no conversation with me. It was all part of their plan, a plan that was doomed to failure because I was not involved in the deal.”

On Thursday, the US star claimed he had “repeatedly asked” Channel 4 to give him more than seven days to respond to the allegations made against him in the documentary and said the broadcaster had refused.