A New York court ruled that the American actor Kevin Spacey he did not sexually harass his colleague Anthony Rapp 36 years ago, which the latter accused him of.

The jury rejected the claims of Anthony Rapp, who sought $40 million in damages.

This particular case came to light in late October 2017, at the start of the #MeToo movement with a flurry of revelations about sexual harassment in the entertainment industry. Other allegations against Kevin Spacey followed, as a result of which the Hollywood star was relegated to the background.

On Thursday, a 12-person jury ruled that there was no evidence to support Anthony Rapp’s claim that Kevin Spacey raped him in May 1986 at a party in his New York apartment. Anthony Rapp was only 14 at the time, and Kevin Spacey was 26.

Spacey’s attorney, Jennifer Keller, stressed during her final arguments that Rapp’s story was a fabrication.

She developed various theories as to why Rapp might have invented it, such as being jealous of his client’s success or wanting attention.

“Mr. Rapp has received more attention in this lawsuit than in his entire acting career,” Keller said.

Kevin Spacey, who is also facing allegations of sexual harassment in the UK, has lost his lead role in the hit series House of Cards and has been sentenced to pay producers $31 million in lost profits.

Source: APE-MPE, AFP, Reuters.