Kevin Spacey found not liable in sex abuse case

STORY: Kevin Spacey was handed a victory, Thursday… after jurors in a Manhattan civil trial found the man accusing him of sexual abuse didn’t prove his claim.

The verdict followed a three-week trial and came some two hours after jurors began deliberating.

50-year-old actor Anthony Rapp – best known from the Broadway production of ‘Rent’ – testified that Spacey made an unwanted sexual advance on him when he was just 14 years old.

Spacey denied the allegation on the stand and said he had never been alone with Rapp.

Spacey’s defense challenged Rapp’s memory of the 1986 encounter, asking why he described it as having taken place in a bedroom when Spacey lived in a studio at the time.

During closing arguments Thursday, Spacey’s lawyer argued that Rapp’s story was a fabrication… accusing the actor of lying out of a desire for attention or jealousy of Spacey’s acting success.

Spacey won Oscars for performances in “American Beauty” and “The Usual Suspects.” But, Spacey’s career largely ended after more than 20 men accused him of sexual misconduct.

Spacey has denied any misconduct.

Spacey faces a criminal trial in London next year.