Kevin Spacey Ordered to Pay $31m to House of Cards Studio After Abuse Claims
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Kevin Spacey has been ordered to pay nearly $31 million to Media Rights Capital, the studio behind House of Cards, which he was fired from in 2017 following allegations of sexual harassment.
A petition was filed Monday in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, with Media Rights Capital (MRC) asking the court “to confirm the award in its favor and enter judgment against Spacey and his loan-out and producing companies.”
The petition comes after an arbitrator ruled last year that Spacey and his production company, as he was a producer for House of Cards, owe the studio nearly $31 million for breach of contract following several sexual harassment allegations made against the actor.
The arbitrator’s ruling, filed 13 months ago, was kept private until Monday following the petition.
According to CNN, in the filing, MRC claims that an arbitrator found Spacey “repeatedly breached his contractual obligations” while starring as Frank Underwood on House of Cards, which “rendered him (and his affiliated entities) liable” for the millions of dollars lost by MRC following his departure from the series.
MRC argued that Spacey’s behavior, which led to his firing, cost the studio millions because it had already spent the money developing and writing the final season, adding that the season brought in less revenue because it was shortened due to Spacey’s departure.
“MRC had no knowledge whatsoever of any such conduct by Spacey with any cast or crew associated with the Show,” the filing states, adding, “The safety of our employees, sets and work environments is of paramount importance to MRC and why we set out to push for accountability.”
In 2017, actor Anthony Rapp alleged that in 1986 — when Rapp was 14-years-old and Spacey was 26 — Spacey attempted to “seduce” him at a party.
Spacey was later fired from House of Cards in December 2017, after further allegations were made against the actor, including by crew members on the show.
