Actor Kevin Spacey has to pay nearly $31 million to the production company for the series House of Cards, from which he was fired after allegations of sexual harassment, a judge ruled Thursday, dismissing his request.
The actor, a two-time Oscar winner for “American Beauty” and “Usual Suspects,” is also facing charges in the UK of four counts of sexually assaulting three men.
In 2017, Kevin Spacey was the subject of a spate of harassment and sexual assault allegations in the wake of the #MeToo movement and the Harvey Weinstein affair that ended his career abruptly.
MRC, the production company behind “House of Cards,” about political intrigue in Washington, is seeking damages for lost earnings resulting from the actor’s dismissal from the series.
This had forced her to do a major overhaul for season six.
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In 2020, an arbitration ruled that Kevin Spacey should pay for the losses and costs associated with these changes.
However, his lawyers had alleged that the person in charge of the arbitration exceeded his authority by considering certain evidence.
On Thursday, however, Judge Mel Red Recana confirmed that the ousted Hollywood icon should pay nearly $31 million in damages and legal costs.
The judge recalled that, according to the conclusions of the arbitration, Kevin Spacey violated the terms of his contract because of his alleged conduct.
Kevin Spacey has always denied sexually harassing anyone.
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In “House of Cards” the actor played the ruthless politician Frank Underwood.
In mid-July, he pleaded not guilty in London to sexual assault committed between March 2005 and April 2013.
In the United States, Kevin Spacey had been charged with indecent assault and sexual assault in the East Coast state of Massachusetts. He was accused of getting his hands on the sex of an 18-year-old young man employed at a bar in July 2016 after making him drink.
However, the charges were dropped in July 2019.