Studio behind House of Cards secured a nearly $31 million payment from Kevin Spacey
Unwrap the Juicy Details Behind Kevin Spacey's $31 Million Verdict
The cat's out of the bag! Fresh revelations about an arbitrator's ruling shed light on the hefty $31 million judgement slapped on actor Kevin Spacey for breach of contract, linked to the production of House of Cards last year. The financial blow was a direct consequence of numerous sexual harassment allegations that came to light, causing havoc and ultimately bringing the series to a halt.
According to the NY Times, MRC — the masterminds behind the Netflix original series — argued in private arbitration that they lost a small fortune as a result of having to rework and re-shoot the show's final season following Spacey's abrupt dismissal in response to the accusations.
If you recall, this critically-acclaimed political drama was Spacey's playground. He starred as the cunning and cruel politician Frank Underwood for five seasons, firmly ensconced at the head of the show. However, when filming for the sixth and concluding season commenced in 2017, Anthony Rapp stepped out of the shadows to accuse Spacey of making a highly inappropriate sexual advance toward him at a party back in 1986. At the time, Spacey was a horny 26-year-old, while Rapp was a mere 14-year-old kid.
In a statement posted to Twitter, Spacey walked a fine line regarding Rapp's allegations. He neither denied nor confirmed the incident but expressed remorse for any drunken, unacceptable behavior. In the same breath, Spacey made waves by publicly acknowledging his homosexuality for the first time.
Netflix initially put the brakes on production to investigate the accusations. But as the allegations continued to pile up by December 2017, including some from crew members who'd worked on "House of Cards," Spacey was given the boot from the show.
In a statement, MRC told the Times: "The safety of our employees, sets, and work environments is our top priority."
The arbitrator's ruling on the $31 million owed by Spacey was issued 13 months ago but remained under wraps until MRC's attorneys petitioned a California court to confirm the sum.
Fun fact: Spacey recently struck a deal with MRC to significantly reduce his payback from $31 million to a mere $1 million. In return, Spacey will lend his support to MRC's legal fight against their insurer[1][2]. Looks like Spacey's managed to turn a lemons-into-lemonade situation!
- The technology of private arbitration was utilized in the court case involving Kevin Spacey and MRC, resulting in a $31 million verdict against Spacey.
- In December 2017, Spacey was abruptly dismissed from the Netflix original series, 'House of Cards,' due to numerous sexual harassment allegations, causing a spacey future for the show.
- The future of Spacey's payback for the breach of contract was in question, as he recently struck a deal with MRC to reduce his payback from $31 million to $1 million.
- Despite the tech-driven arbitration and the hefty financial penalty, Spacey seems to have turned the situation around by lending his support to MRC's legal fight against their insurer.
