Prosecutors in Los Angeles have declined a sexual assault case against actor Kevin Spacey because too much time has passed since the alleged incident took place.
A man alleged Spacey had assaulted him in West Hollywood in October 1992.
However, prosecutors could not take the case forward because any alleged sex crime involving an adult that occurred in that year would fall outside of California’s statute of limitations, the Los Angeles County District Attorney said.
Prosecutors are reviewing a second case involving former House of Cards star Spacey that includes allegations he attacked a man in Malibu in October 2016.
The case remains under review, prosecutors said.
Spacey (59) is being investigated in the UK for six sexual assault claims over 22 years.
Actor Anthony Rapp was the first to make an allegation against Spacey, claiming he was 14 when a 26-year-old Spacey made a sexual advance to him in 1986.
Spacey has faced a number of repercussions since allegations of sexual assault against him emerged. He was sacked from Netflix show House Of Cards and erased from Sir Ridley Scott’s All The Money In The World.
Spacey was artistic director at London’s The Old Vic theatre between 2004 and 2015. Spacey could not immediately be reached for comment.
Prosecutors also declined to charge Steven Seagal and Anthony Anderson.
Seagal, an action movie star turned Russian envoy to the United States, was accused of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old woman in 1993; the statute of limitations expired in 1999, records show. Prosecutors are also still reviewing another allegation against him.
Anderson, the star of ABC’s “black-ish,” was accused of sexual abuse this year, but prosecutors declined to bring charges because of a lack of evidence, according to court records. A lawyer for
A representative for Seagal did not immediately provide comment. A representative for Anderson, who has denied the accusation against him, declined to comment.
Sexual misconduct allegations have swept through Hollywood since producer Harvey Weinstein was hit with allegations of sexual harassment and unwanted physical conduct, spurring the #MeToo movement last year. California removed its statute of limitations on some sex crimes in 2016, but the law is not retroactive. It applies only to crimes that were committed after January 1st, 2017, or recently enough that the previous statute of limitations had not already expired. Six cases involving Weinstein are still being investigated. – Agencies