Masseur who accused Kevin Spacey of sexual assault dies in the middle of the lawsuit

The anonymous massage therapist who accused actor Kevin Spacey of sexual assault last year has died in the middle of the lawsuit, according to a notice filed in court.

The man, who is only referred to as ‘John Doe’ to protect his identity, accused the House of Cards actor of sexual battery, gender violence, battery, assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress and false imprisonment.

The individual filed claims alleging that in October 2016, Spacey behaved inappropriately during a massage. He said the actor locked the door behind him before twice grabbing his hand and forcing it towards his groin.

He then alleged that Spacey stood up and came towards him while naked in an apparent attempt to kiss him, and asked the masseur if he could perform oral sex on him.

Spacey denied engaging in any wrongful or unlawful conduct. He objected to the individual being allowed to maintain his anonymity, but in May a federal judge ruled that the plaintiff’s identity should remain shielded.

Spacey’s lawyers were reportedly informed of the death on 11 September,  just a month after the parties came to a plan for proceeding in the suit. A  seven- to 11-day trial was envisioned.

The court documents refer to the actor by his original name, Kevin Fowler: “No further information or details have been given to Mr. Fowler’s counsel, but Plaintiff’s counsel stated they intended to notify the Court with additional information at an appropriate time in the future.”

It is possible that the lawsuit against Spacey could be continued by the therapist’s estate.

The Academy Award-winning actor has been accused of misconduct by several men, including Star Trek: Discovery‘s Anthony Rapp, who claims he was just 14 when Spacey made sexual advances towards him.

In a statement Spacey denied the accusations against him and simultaneously came out as gay, prompting huge backlash from the LGBT+ community for its incredibly poor timing.

Radio presenter Iain Dale wrote: “F**k you Kevin Spacey. Nice work in playing into the homophobes’ playbook – equating being gay with an interest in 14 year olds. Sick f**k.”