Kevin Spacey to Stand Civil Trial Over Sexual Assault Allegations
Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey is scheduled to face a series of civil trials at the High Court in London in October 2026. The legal action stems from separate lawsuits filed by three men who have accused the two-time Oscar winner of sexual assault.
The decision was made during a preliminary hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice on Wednesday, 26th November 2025. Mrs Justice Lambert provisionally set aside a three-week window for the cases to be heard, though it remains undecided whether they will be combined into a single trial or heard consecutively.
The Claimants and Their Allegations
One of the claimants, Ruari Cannon, has chosen to waive his legal right to anonymity. The two other men are currently proceeding under the pseudonyms LNP and GHI. All three allege that they were sexually assaulted by Spacey on various occasions between 2000 and 2015.
Mr Cannon is pursuing legal action not only against Kevin Spacey but also against London's Old Vic theatre, where the actor served as artistic director from 2004 to 2015. The claimants' legal team, led by Elizabeth-Anne Gumbel KC, argued that hearing the cases together would be more efficient, preventing the defendant and witnesses from having to give evidence multiple times.
Spacey's Defence and Legal History
The 66-year-old actor has consistently denied any wrongdoing. Spacey has formally denied two of the claims and is yet to file a defence for the third claim, which was submitted to the court as recently as September.
This civil litigation follows Spacey's 2023 acquittal in a criminal trial, where he was found not guilty of nine sex offences relating to four different men. Representing Spacey, William McCormick KC argued against consolidating the cases, stating that the only common feature was Kevin Spacey himself. He contended that the circumstances of the alleged assaults were "markedly different and occur many years apart".
The court will now determine the final trial structure, with all parties preparing for a significant legal proceeding in late 2026 that will draw intense international media scrutiny to the London High Court.
