Kevin Spacey could face a High Court trial over a sexual abuse claim after a default judgment against him was set aside.
In 2022, the Oscar-winning actor was sued at the High Court in London by a man who claimed he had been sexually assaulted by Mr Spacey and suffered “psychiatric damage”.
The civil claim was paused after Mr Spacey was charged – and later acquitted – in criminal proceedings of a number of sexual offences alleged by four men between 2001 and 2013.
At a hearing on Tuesday, the court heard that lawyers for the actor – who is represented by the firm Carter-Ruck – were due to file a written defence after the end of the criminal proceedings, but had failed to do so.
A default judgment was subsequently entered against Mr Spacey in the civil case on his liability earlier this year.
However, after a judge set aside the default judgment at the hearing, the US star is now set to face a civil trial over the allegations.
In his bid to set aside the previous ruling, Adam Speker KC, for Mr Spacey, described the failure to file the paperwork as a “genuine error by his solicitor”.
The barrister told the hearing in London it would be unfair to proceed to a damages hearing and the contested allegations should instead be taken to trial.
Lifting the default civil judgment, Judge David Cook said that the lawyers had “quite frankly ‘mucked up’”.
He said: “There can be no excuse in my view for the date being overlooked.
“The simple fact of the matter is this is a claim where the defendant’s solicitors have made an error.
“In my view, that error should not be visited upon the defendant.”
Judge Cook added: “The interests of justice require that those allegations go forward to trial and the judgment in default should, therefore, be lifted.”
Claire Glasgow of Fieldfisher, who is representing the claimant, said after the hearing: “We are pleased that the judge recognised the seriousness of the claim and directed the court to proceed to trial.
“Our client is seeking justice in the civil courts for serious allegations against Mr Spacey, regardless of the findings of the criminal trial.”
The hearing comes after Mr Spacey denied allegations of inappropriate behaviour ahead of the broadcast of a Channel 4 documentary.
The programme, titled Spacey Unmasked, began airing on Monday and is said to feature testimony from men “regarding events they say took place between 1976 and 2013″.
Ahead of the broadcast, the 64-year-old actor, in an interview with former GB News presenter Dan Wootton, said: “I take full responsibility for my past behaviour and my actions, but I cannot and will not take responsibility or apologise to anyone who’s made up stuff about me or exaggerated stories about me.
“I’ve never told someone that if they give me sexual favours, then I will help them out with their career, never.”
Mr Spacey added: “I’ve clearly hooked up with some men who thought they might get ahead in their careers by having a relationship with me.
“But there was no conversation with me, it was all part of their plan, a plan that was always destined to fail, because I wasn’t in on the deal.”
A Carter Ruck spokesman said: “The allegations made in this civil claim are the same allegations made by one of the complainants in the 2023 UK criminal trial, in which Mr Spacey was acquitted.
“Each time he has been given the time and a proper forum to defend himself, the allegations have failed under scrutiny and he has been exonerated.
“Mr Spacey has the opportunity now to defend these allegations, as he did in the criminal proceedings, and he looks forward to justice being done once again.”