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Shifting loyalties. A mixture of half-truths in pursuit of nine-figure insurance payouts. Complaints from crew members against the trio at the top House of cards“Invitation paper.
In a dusty annex to a Santa Monica courthouse on Tuesday, Kevin Spacey detailed the maneuverings of people working behind the scenes in his orbit to recover money from the collapsed final season of his Netflix show. He testified that he was ready and willing to film the sixth season of the series House of cards But he was unfairly fired for false reasons so that the show’s producers could file a huge insurance claim. The actor has been articulate, quick-witted, unrepentant and resolute, challenging allegations of sexual impropriety and a sexual coercion diagnosis that upended his career nearly a decade ago.
Spacey’s testimony comes to the forefront of a long-running case between Media Right Capital, the production company behind it House of cardsagainst her insurance company. In an unusual arrangement, he struck a deal with the MRC to reduce his $31 million arbitration award in exchange for handing over his medical records. It’s a key part of the company’s case to convince the jury that Spacey suffers from a legitimate illness that prevents him from filming.
However, it seems that bad blood still exists between the two sides. Spacey was unwilling to comply with the MRC’s version of events despite their agreement.
Each time, Spacey disputed findings in his medical records from his time at The Meadows, a luxury rehabilitation facility in Arizona that he entered after being accused of sexual harassment, that showed he had a condition that required treatment.
“In all of the medical records, there are comments attributed to me that I never said,” Spacey said in his testimony. “They think I speak with a British accent and have a wife.”
Spacey’s position on his condition was challenged by the testimony of Michael Genovese, a psychiatrist and expert witness at the Medical Research Center who said Spacey was contemplating suicide. “one [idea] “He had hanged himself the night before he went into the Meadows,” Genovese recounted. Another had to step in front of a car while staying at a rehabilitation center, he added.
Spacey was “unable to carry out his duties on set House of cards “In 2017 as a result of this disease. There was no way,” Genovese said.
Spacey’s refusal to take responsibility for his alleged sexual misconduct emerged as a major theme in a line of questioning from Adam Zephyr, the company’s lawyer, perhaps to undermine the actor’s later testimony that he was not suffering from an illness and was prepared to film the sixth season of the series. House of cards. The actor stressed that he did not believe a CNN report published in 2017 that accused Spacey of sexually harassing crew members, along with other stories revolving around allegations of sexual impropriety.
“It would be great if she corrected her story,” he joked, referring to the reporter who wrote the story.
In response to a question about the legitimacy of the accusations against several anonymous accusers, Spacey denied the allegations of inappropriate touching. He referred to one of the allegations in his previous testimony as a “completely made-up story.”
In the legal dispute between MRC and Spacey, which resulted in a $31 million judgment, the arbitrator found that each of the complaining witnesses was credible and that he violated anti-harassment policies in his contract.
“The conclusion is that for all these reasons, these incidents are more likely than not to have occurred,” Zephyr said, prompting a quick response from Spacey that the bar is “a very low bar.”
“From your perspective, none of this happened because you don’t misbehave while filming,” Zephyr replied. “I think we’ve taken a hard look at how accountability works.”
Spacey has been more receptive to questioning from the Firefighter Fund, which is looking to prove that he was fired from the production due to media fallout in response to sexual assault allegations rather than an underlying illness.
When asked if he agreed with the diagnosis of compulsive sexual disorder, Spacey said he was initially told by a medical professional at The Meadows that he did not qualify as a sex addict. “I only later found out that they had actually diagnosed me as gender dysphoric,” he said. “I can’t object to that professionally, but I can object to it personally.”
He said the founder of the rehab center later asked him to be a spokesman for sex addiction. “It was very clear that they wanted me to become a sex addict.”
Spacey’s stay at The Meadows was a major focus of the trial. His attorney, Todd Rubinstein, told the production company on Nov. 4 that the actor is “available, willing and able to provide all services” required under his contract. This contradicted an earlier confirmation from his agent, Matt Delpiano, to MRC CEO Scott Tinley two days earlier that Spacey was “sick” and would be gone for a “very long time.”
Before entering the treatment center, Spacey’s manager had a conversation with Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos. “He said I was family and that we were partners and that none of this would affect[[House of cards]And that they would go on hiatus and nothing would happen until Thanksgiving,” the actor said. “They loved me and supported me and were supportive of me leaving to take care of myself.”
But over Thanksgiving, Spacey learned that Netflix had publicly parted ways with him and suspended Spacey’s starring vehicle. Gore Despite Sarandos informing him otherwise.
Also discussed during the hearing: Complaints by crew members against Robin Wright and Michael Kelly. “There was an incident where he pulled a woman who was a crew member onto the bed,” Spacey said, referring to Kelly. “It’s become something people talk about.”
The complaint against Wright was not specified, although Spacey asked about sexual jokes that preceded the question involving the actress.
MRC is seeking more than $100 million. The trial began with opening statements earlier this month. It is expected to continue for several more weeks.
