Spacey set to face civil sex assault claims in court in 2026

Actor Kevin Spacey is set to face civil claims of sexual assault from three men at the High Court in London next October.

The men have sued the star, alleging that he assaulted them between 2000 and 2013.

At a hearing on Wednesday, a judge suggested a provisional trial date of 12 October 2026. The claims could be heard in a single trial, or in three consecutive trials to hear each case.

Mr Spacey denies all allegations of wrongdoing. He has formally denied two of the claims and is yet to file a defence with the court in the third. He was separately cleared of nine sexual offence charges at a criminal trial in 2023.

Two of the men who accused the Oscar-winning star during the criminal trial have also filed civil legal cases at the High Court.

One man, known only as LNP, alleges that Mr Spacey "deliberately assaulted" him on about 12 occasions between 2000 and 2005.

Another, referred to as GHI, says he met Mr Spacey through a workshop at London's Old Vic theatre and claims he "suffered psychiatric damage and financial loss" as a result of an assault in 2008.

Mr Spacey was artistic director of the Old Vic between 2004 and 2013.

The man originally sued Mr Spacey in 2022 but his case was paused when the criminal charges were brought.

The third man, Ruari Cannon, has waived his right to anonymity.

He was in Tennessee Williams' play Sweet Bird of Youth at the Old Vic in 2013, and alleges that Mr Spacey groped him at a party after the show's press night.

Mr Cannon took part in a Channel 4 documentary, Spacey Unmasked, in 2024.

Mr Spacey said the allegation was "ridiculous and it never happened".

Elizabeth-Anne Gumbel KC, representing the trio, said in written submissions that the cases should be heard in a single trial to avoid the men and Mr Spacey giving evidence more than once.

The US actor has previously admitted "bad behaviour" and "being too handsy" at times, but said he would not use the word "grope" to describe his actions.

At his criminal trial in London in 2023, he was acquitted of seven counts of sexual assault, one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.