Kevin Spacey Accuser Dies Amidst Sexual Assault Lawsuit

An attorney for Kevin Spacey's sexual assault accuser "John Doe" has issued a statement to the Huffington Post in the wake of the accuser's death.

Calling Spacey's public filing of the client's death "undignified, insensitive, and inappropriate," the attorney states that the death of Doe was a "devastating shock" that Doe's family is still processing.

The attorney states that Spacey's filing issues a 90-day countdown. If the estate does not wish to step in to replace Doe in the court case within 90 days, the case can be dismissed. Per the attorney's statement to the Huffington Post, Spacey allegedly "prematurely filed the notice in an attempt to gain an advantage of a ticking clock."

The attorney claimed that because Doe came forward, other alleged survivors of Spacey's abuse did as well. Doe planned on "standing up for all of them."

Read the full statement below:

The anonymous person suing Kevin Spacey for sexual assault has died, per The Hollywood Reporter. The information came to light due to a notice filed in court by Spacey’s lawyers and obtained by THR. 

The deceased individual (known as “John Doe” in the legal proceedings) was a massage therapist who, in September of 2018, filed claims that Spacey twice made them grab Spacey’s genitals during a massage in a Malibu home. The case was slated to move forward, according to Variety, with a trial scheduled for June 23, 2020. Spacey was reportedly informed on September 11 of the plaintiff's death.

The Hollywood Reporter claims it is still possible for the heirs of John Doe to continue with the suit, though there are legal hoops to jump through first — and there is a chance that a judge will not protect the privacy of the deceased, as they agreed to do while John Doe was alive. Per the outlet, John Doe’s lawyers represented two other alleged victims of Spacey — also massage therapists — who chose to remain anonymous as well over publicity and safety concerns.

In July, prosecutors dropped a case against Spacey made by a man who claimed Spacey groped him at a bar in Nantucket. Spacey pleaded not guilty to the charges. After being unable to provide text messages that the man alleged would support the claim Spacey acted improperly, the accuser evoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination on the stand where he was testifying against Spacey. Prosecutors dropped the case due to “an unavailability of the complaining witness.”

In Britain, the Metropolitan police are reportedly investigating six claims of assault against Spacey. In August, Los Angeles County prosecutors announced they are reviewing a case against Spacey. 

Spacey has not made direct public statements about his legal battles, though he has made somewhat cryptic statements about the current state of his career. In August, he read a poem about a struggling boxer who was having a difficult time following past glory at an event at the National Roman Museum. In December of 2018, Spacey — who was fired from Netflix series House of Cards following multiple sexual misconduct allegations — appeared in a Youtube video as his character, Frank Underwood. In the video, he seemingly indirectly addresses his real-life accusations, declaring that “some believed everything” and “have just been waiting with bated breath” to hear Spacey “confess it all.”

Refinery29 reached out to Spacey for comment.