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Kevin Spacey's sexual assault lawsuit is set to be dismissed after his anonymous accuser refused to reveal his identity.
Earlier this month, US District Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled that the male source known as ‘C.D' must publicly confirm his identity in order for the case against Spacey to proceed, but on Thursday (13.05.21) lawyers for the man said he would not be revealing his name.
C.D. has accused Spacey of sexually assaulting him when he was just 14, and filed his lawsuit against the disgraced actor in September alongside fellow accuser, Anthony Rapp.
But now, the case looks set to be dismissed after the anonymous accuser refused to comply with Kaplan's request.
Richard M. Steigman and Peter J. Saghir, the attorneys for C.D., said in a letter obtained by CNN: “As we had previously informed the Court, C.D. believes he is unable to withstand the scrutiny and intrusion into his life if his identity is revealed in this matter.”
The pair also added that the “unwanted attention” would be “simply too much for him to bear”.
However, Judge Kaplan has claimed C.D. must identify himself because interest in the case is “magnified because C.D. has made his allegations against a public figure”.
The judge wrote in his ruling: “The evidence suggests that C.D. knowingly and repeatedly took the risk that any of these individuals at one point or another would reveal his true identity in a manner that would bring that identity to wide public attention, particularly given Spacey's celebrity. He seeks $40 million in damages. He makes serious charges and, as a result, has put his credibility in issue.”
In the original lawsuit, C.D. accused Spacey of sexually assaulting him in the 1980s, when the accuser was 14.
Meanwhile, Anthony Rapp first accused Spacey, 61, of sexual assault back in October 2017, when he claimed the former ‘House of Cards' actor had “grabbed [his] buttocks” and lifted him onto a bed whilst at a party in Spacey's home in 1986, when Anthony was also just 14.
Spacey issued a statement at the time saying he didn't remember the alleged incident involving Anthony, and apologised “for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunk behaviour”.
