An anonymous masseuse who said he was sexually assaulted by actor Kevin Spacey has died in the midst of the lawsuit, just seven months after another Spacey accuser was killed.
The anonymous massage therapist filed claims in court as “John Doe” against Spacey in September 2018.
The therapist said he was forced to grab the actor’s genitals during a massage at a house in Malibu. Spacey tried blocking the suit on the grounds the accuser was anonymous but a federal judge let the case move forward in May.
One month after the parties formed a plan for the suit, including a seven- to 11-day trial, the plaintiff’s attorney told Spacey the client “recently passed,” according to the Hollywood Reporter.
No other details, such as the manner of death, were available.
According to a court filing made by Spacey’s lawyers obtained by the New York Post, “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.”
Spacey’s given name is Kevin Fowler.
Relatives of Doe could continue the lawsuit in the wake of his death, though it wasn’t clear if they would. If they do, they would likely have to identify the deceased accuser, according to the Reporter.
Another person who accused Spacey of sexual assault died in February.
Linda Culkin was walking in Quincy, Massachusetts, when she was hit by a vehicle.
Police Sgt. Karyn Barkas told The Patriot Ledger that Culkin was crossing the street against a green light and the driver who hit her tried avoiding her but was not able to.
The driver was not charged.
Culkin pleaded guilty to sending threats via mail and over the Internet and other charges and was sentenced to over four years in prison in 2014.
Culkin, a nursing assistant, started cyberstalking Spacey in 2009 after one of her male patients told her that he was sexually attacked by the actor.
“It is difficult to measure the degree of terror this situation has caused. I have some mental health issues. I was overzealous. I cop to that. I fully apologize to him. I didn’t mean it to be so harsh,” Culkin said during her sentencing.
Culkin’s cousin, Cindy, told Radar Online that the death was suspicious.
“Linda was one of the first to accuse Kevin Spacey of attacking young men, and I find it very odd that you don’t hear anything more about her accident—or about the person who hit her,” she said. “It’s like it happened, and now there is nothing!”
Since the first accusation, over a dozen other people have come forward to allege sexual harassment, assault, or rape against Spacey.
One of the charges filed against Spacey was dropped in July after the alleged victim pleaded the Fifth.
Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O’Keefe said the decision was made “due to the unavailability of the complaining witness,” according to a court filing.
Spacey was fired by Netflix due to the allegations. In late 2018, he appeared in a video he posted on Twitter speaking in character as Frank Underwood, the character he played on Netflix’s “House of Cards.”
“Of course, some believed everything and have just been waiting with bated breath to hear me confess it all,” he said, using Underwood’s Southern accent. “They’re just dying to have me declare that everything said is true and that I got what I deserved. Wouldn’t that be easy if it was all so simple? Only you and I both know it’s not that simple, not in politics and not in life.”
“But you wouldn’t believe the worst without evidence, would you? You wouldn’t rush to judgment without facts, would you? Did you?” he said.
