Kevin Spacey’s legal luck has turned around in House Of Cards settlement
In yet another legal victory for the alleged predator, Kevin Spacey now gets to pay way less than the initial House Of Cards ruling
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Kevin Spacey has nabbed yet another legal victory. Originally ordered to pay $31 million to House Of Cards producer MRC, he’s now agreed to a payment of just $1 million dollars. Not only that, but he gets to pay it “over multiple years in installments equal to 10% of his after-tax income,” per Variety. That is obviously a huge difference from the decision handed down in 2022 when a judge said Spacey’s legal team “[failed] to demonstrate that this is even a close case” to challenge the sum.
Spacey was initially held to the $31 million because MRC argued that his sexual misconduct caused the production company serious financial loss, as House Of Cards had to scrap the entire final season and start from scratch, plus multiple apparent spin-offs that died on the vine. Now, instead of seeking all those damages from Spacey, MRC is actually teaming up with the actor to get the cash out of the production’s insurance companies. According to Deadline, Spacey will now serve as a witness for MRC’s legal team in the case against Fireman’s Insurance and Lloyd’s of London, and “will also provide detailed medical records and will sit for examinations from designated doctors.”
Last year, MRC filed lawsuits against the insurance companies seeking $50 million, per The Times. The production company argued that “Spacey’s alleged sex addiction constitutes a sickness and should be covered by its insurance policies.” This questionable tactic stems from the fact that amid the investigation into Spacey’s alleged misconduct on set, the star checked himself into Gentle Path at The Meadows, a rehab center that includes specialized treatment for sex addiction.
This legal path hinges on MRC arguing that an actor leaving set for sex addiction treatment is akin to production being delayed because a star has the flu or broke his leg. In their own legal filings, the insurers counter-argue with the question: Is sex addiction even a genuine illness? Actual mental health experts are divided on the topic, but there’s another expert witness whose opinion would be even more important in this case: Kevin Spacey, who has denied having a sex addiction. In court papers filed in 2022 (per The Daily Mail), Spacey said he didn’t check into rehab for sex addiction, he just went for generalized mental health treatment because he was “emotionally fragile” after coming out as gay.
According to Deadline, MRC apparently amended its filing to Fireman’s Insurance last month, claiming “Spacey wasn’t able to work on HOC because of mental health issues”—perhaps now that Spacey is joining the case, the production company has decided to drop the “sex addiction” angle. Except the insurers have another factor working in their favor, which is that Spacey wasn’t able to work as much (if not more so!) because of the misconduct investigation than because of his rehab stint. That’s an investigation that was found largely credible by the arbitrator in the MRC vs. Spacey case.
Fireman’s Insurance—quite rightfully, it seems—has deemed this shift in MRC’s strategy as “absurd” in its own legal filing. Per The Times, both insurers have sought “more information on what Netflix knew about Spacey’s alleged behavior.” Court docs reveal that Netflix “has so far resisted such discovery demands,” and it’s unlikely the streamer will want to dredge more of this up years after the fact. The bottom line, especially with the Spacey news, seems to be that MRC is not walking away from this case with all the money it claims to have lost.
32 Comments
scrap. . . multiple apparent spin-offsI think we all came out winners here.
Definitely. Yellowstone syndrome averted.
“Yellowstone syndrome averted.”
Yeah, it would’ve been a real tragedy if we got a bunch of HoC spin-offs that were considered by many to be better than the original show.
Wouldn’t that just SUCK?
“I think we all came out winners here.”
Yeah, I too choose to pretend that I always hated the show and that I wouldn’t have watched spin-offs.
We are definitely winners around here!
House of Dominoes and House of Legos could have been entertaining, but House of Basketballs was just stretching it too far.
Ain’t no rule that says houses can’t play basketball.
Considering the show slowed to a dull crawl once Spacey was jettisoned, I’d have to say you’re right.
Considering the show slowed to a dull crawl once Spacey was jettisoned, I’d have to say you’re right.The show was running on fumes from the moment they offed Kate Mara. (Spoilers, I guess.)
That was taken from the original British version about a corrupt MP who becomes Prime Minister, though. Pretty much all the plot up to the point Spacey was kicked off was just the British version with a few differences due to how the House of Commons works differently than the House of Representatives.
Yeah, I know it was taken from the British version. I would’ve fought to change it, though. The show got some good shock value from when it actually happened, but outside of that, Kate was the most compelling thing the show had going for it, other than maybe Kevin Spacey himself.
That show went bad long before he left.
Fair. But once he was gone there was no reason whatsoever for it to even be on. It did get annoying once he was sidelined; the fun of the show was watching him mash other politicians’ balls into paste.
More like neutered than sidelined for the most bizarre reason. The whole point of that show was watching him mash other politicians’ balls into paste. No one cared about all of the side characters and their plots.
A good way to put it. Making him a powerless spectator to his own life went completely against everything we’d learned about the character to that point.
dead people prequel series, of characters going, “it’s not like I’m gonna run for office?” As they do BAD THINGS!
“Denied having sex addiction”. I hate defending Spacey, but just that one sentence-yeah, thats what addicts do. They usually deny having a problem until their lives are on fire. But he could just be a weaselly liar trying to save his ass. I dont know. Just saying his one statement denying addiction IN ITSELF doesnt disprove or prove anything.
“I hate defending Spacey”
Then don’t. The denial they’re talking about happened “In court papers filed in 2022″. It wasn’t just an addict denying their addiction, this is someone who came out ON THE OTHER SIDE OF REHAB claiming that he hadn’t gone for sex addiction.
This was a LEGAL STATEMENT that was part of the court case, dumbfuck.
I know that part was so funny. Does the AVClub usually support self-diagnosis? All the anti-vaxxers who “did their own research” are cheering.
It’s weird, because usually “sex addiction” is something people claim to indemnify themselves from this kind of bad behavior. Although this asshole just thought “turns out I’m gay” was going to do the trick.
Yeah, “I’m a sex addict so I’m not responsible for being a sexual predator” is fucking dangerous.
Yup. But “I’m gay so…” is even worse.
If it makes you feel better, that wasn’t much of a defense.
One think Spacey’s cooperation may get them is access to the records of what Spacey’s treatment actually entailed. Presumably the treatment for sex addition is different than the treatment for generally being mentally fragile after coming out as gay.
I guess good things happen to those who rape.Fuck Spacey.
I am both delighted and horrified, so I offer a very complicated star.
Given that MRC was in a vastly better position than everyone here to know what Spacey was doing, letting MRC sue Spacey to cover their losses is letting them off the hook for whatever responsibility they had for enabling him. And the more you assume the worst about Spacey, the worst it is for MRC. The article’s indignant presumption that MRC has to be satisfied for its losses to the depravity it funded for that part of Spacey’s career is very company-man. You want to change the culture in Hollywood, make the producers pay.
Spacey was initially held to the $31 million because MRC argued that his sexual misconduct caused the production company serious financial loss, as House Of Cards had to scrap the entire final season and start from scratchI’m kind of surprised this ever held up. They didn’t have to scrap the final season and start over, they chose too. Christopher Plummer was right there!
This joke is so old it’s got McCallan’s on the label. I’ll allow it.
Yeah. it’s weird though cause it can’t be that old, but it really was run into the ground. In my defense the comment wasn’t a vehicle for an overdone joke. It just seemed like the natural way to say they could have recast him. Or killed him offscreen for that matter and kept the footage they’d shot.
Yeah, one awkward part of the case is that Spacey was available and willing to appear on the show. It’s not like he was in jail or physically unable to act. Even if you think producers were right to conclude the show should not go forward with Spacey (and I certainly do) it’s a little strange to pin on the costs on him for what was, fundamentally, a choice the producers of the show made.
Kevin Spacey has ordered the murder of multiple people………………..Allegedly!
Aw man, I was hoping for a nice “Of Cock!”