Judge rules Kevin Spacey must pay nearly $31M to ‘House of Cards’ producer

LOS ANGELES — Actor Kevin Spacey was ordered by a Los Angeles judge to pay the production company of “House of Cards” nearly $31 million due to losses caused by alleged sexual misconduct that led to his firing from the show in 2017.

>> Read more trending news

The ruling from Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mel Red Recana upheld the $30.9 million arbitration award the actor must pay to MRC and other companies that produced the Netflix series, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The award was previously handed down by an arbitrator in October 2020, Variety reported. The breakdown of the award consisted of approximately $29.5 million in damages and $1.5 million in costs and fees, according to the entertainment news outlet.

Spacey, 63, who played Frank Underwood in the series, was fired during the sixth season of “House of Cards” after he was accused of sexually assaulting and preying upon young men, including a production assistant who alleged that the actor groped him, Variety reported.

https://t.co/zoY6tXTQ7F
— Variety (@Variety) August 4, 2022

Recana wrote in his ruling that Spacey and his attorneys “fail to demonstrate that this is even a close case” and “do not demonstrate that the damages award was so utterly irrational that it amounts to an arbitrary remaking of the parties’ contracts.”

The arbitrator found that Spacey violated his contract’s demands for professional behavior by “engaging certain conduct in connection with several crew members in each of the five seasons that he starred in and executive produced ‘House of Cards,’” according to The Associated Press.

Kevin Spacey pleads not guilty to sex assault charges in UK

“We are pleased with the court’s ruling,” MRC attorney Michael Kump wrote in an email to the AP.

Spacey has denied the allegations through his attorneys and his spokesperson, who did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

Last month, Spacey pleaded not guilty in the United Kingdom to charges of sexually assaulting three men when he was director of London’s Old Vic theater. Spacey’s lawyers have denied the allegations, according to Variety. Spacey is scheduled to stand trial next year, according to the AP.

1 of 11