Kevin Spacey Must Pay $31M in ‘House of Cards’ Dispute, Judge Affirms

The actor, who was fired amid sexual misconduct allegations, had challenged eight-figure damages awarded to MRC by an arbitrator.

Kevin Spacey has misplaced his bid to overturn a $31 million arbitration award he was ordered to pay Home of Playing cardsproducer MRC for sexual misconduct involving younger crew members behind the scenes of the Netflix collection.


Spacey was dropped from the Netflix collection throughout its sixth season after allegations surfaced that he preyed on younger males. The dispute was despatched to arbitration, the place an arbitrator discovered that the actor breached his contract by violating anti-harassment insurance policies and failing to supply companies “in an expert method.” The arbitrator additionally discovered that Spacey wasn’t entitled to be paid for the rest of his contract, though it contained a pay-or-play provision, and that his breaches brought about the present’s sixth season to be shortened and rewritten and price MRC eight-figures in prices and misplaced income.


The actor’s authorized group fired again, difficult the award in open court docket and contending it was “permeated with factual and authorized errors — most basically, its discovering that MRC proved by a preponderance of the proof that Spacey sexually harassed 5 former [House of Cards] crewmembers.” His attorneys argued Spacey “participated in a pervasive on-set tradition that was full of sexual innuendoes, jokes and harmless horseplay” however by no means harassed anybody and when he was instructed “his conduct made somebody really feel uncomfortable or was in any manner undesirable, he stopped.”


Los Angeles Superior Courtroom Choose Mel Crimson Recana on Thursday confirmed the award, adopting a tentative ruling after listening to oral arguments.


“The Arbitrator’s conclusion that Respondents’ breach brought about the aforesaid damages is a factual discovering which the court docket usually can't assessment for error,” Recana explains within the ruling, which is posted beneath. “Additional, the court docket can't assessment the sufficiency of the proof supporting the arbitration award. A 3- arbitrator panel additionally affirmed the Arbitrator’s Closing Award in proceedings below the JAMS Non-obligatory Arbitration Enchantment Process.”


Recana emphasised that usually with the intention to be overturned an arbitrator’s choice should be “completely irrational,” which isn’t the case right here.


“We're happy with the court docket’s ruling,” MRC’s legal professional Michael Kump instructed THR.


MRC is a co-owner of The Hollywood Reporter via a three way partnership with Penske Media Company known as PMRC.

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