Judge rules that the allegations made by Rapp against Spacey, related to a 1986 encounter, raise material questions for trial

A federal judge in New York has ruled that the civil lawsuit brought against actor Kevin Spacey by Anthony Rapp can move forward in court. The lawsuit accuses Spacey of sexual assault during an incident at a Manhattan party in 1986, when Rapp was just 14 years old.

Judge Lewis A. Kaplan determined that the claims made by Rapp were sufficient to establish a material issue of fact. This means there is a legitimate question regarding whether Spacey acted to satisfy his sexual desires during the brief encounter, in which Rapp alleges that Spacey positioned him on a bed and partially placed his body next to Rapp’s before the latter managed to escape and leave the scene.

In his lawsuit, Rapp is seeking both compensatory and punitive damages, alleging that he suffered assault, battery, and emotional distress as a result of the encounter. The actor has testified in a deposition that no kissing, undressing, or sexual language took place during the interaction, which he described as lasting no more than two minutes.

Spacey, who has consistently denied the allegations, has yet to comment publicly on the ruling. A lawyer for Rapp declined to offer a statement, while a representative for Spacey did not respond to requests for comment.

While the judge allowed the lawsuit to continue, he dismissed an additional claim of common law assault, stating that it did not fall within the parameters of a New York state law temporarily lifting the statute of limitations for certain child sexual abuse cases.

The ruling follows a recent decision by British authorities to charge Spacey with four counts of sexual assault related to alleged incidents in London between 2005 and 2013.