Kevin Spacey to Pay $30 Million to ‘House of Cards’ Producers After Being Fired for Alleged Sexual Misconduct

usmagazine.com:

Kevin Spacey owes more than $30 million to the producers of House of Cards after being fired from the Netflix series in 2017.Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mel Red Recana ordered the actor, 63, to pay $29.5 million in damages to the MRC company and an additional $1.5 million in attorney’s fees and costs after hearing oral arguments on Thursday, August 4, per The Hollywood Reporter.

Spacey had previously bid to overturn the arbitration award after an arbitrator found in November 2021 that the New Jersey native breached his contract by allegedly violating anti-harassment policies and failing to act “in a professional manner.”At the time, the arbitrator also argued that Spacey wasn’t entitled to receive payment for the remainder of his contract after he was axed from the political drama during its sixth season.

In January, the American Beauty actor’s lawyers pushed to toss out the ordered damages, claiming the award was “permeated with factual and legal errors.”“The truth is that while Spacey participated in a pervasive on-set culture that was filled with sexual innuendoes, jokes and innocent horseplay, he never sexually harassed anyone,” the Oscar winner’s attorneys alleged. “[T]he few times Spacey was told that his conduct made someone feel uncomfortable or was in any way unwanted, he stopped.”Following the judge’s decision on Thursday to move forward with the fees, MRC’s legal team told The Hollywood Reporter, “We are pleased with the court’s ruling.” Spacey’s team did not immediately respond to Us Weekly for comment.In November 2017, Spacey was accused of sexual misconduct by eight current and former House of Cards employees.