Disgraced actor Kevin Spacey lost his arbitration case against the House of Cards production company, Media Rights Capital, and has been ordered to pay nearly $31 million in damages.
Spacey was fired from the popular Netflix show in 2017 after he was accused of sexual misconduct and harassment. Production of the sixth and final season was suspended so it could be rewritten entirely, and the two episodes Spacey had already filmed were scrapped. The series killed off his character, President Frank Underwood, which reflected Netflix’s decision to cut all ties with the actor — who also served as the series’ executive producer.
MRC later sued Spacey in 2019 for breach of his contract, claiming his firing cost the company millions of dollars in lost revenue because they had to completely overhaul the final season.
Following a years-long and bitter court battle, an arbitrator ruled in MRC’s favor and ordered the actor to pay $29.5 million in damages, in addition to $1.4 million in attorneys fees. The finding was made public on Monday.
MRC said they are pleased by the outcome and, in a statement to ABC News, announced, “The safety of our employees, sets and work environments is of paramount importance to MRC and why we set out to push for accountability. We thank Michael Kump and Gregory Korn of Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump Holley LLP for their commitment and hard work in this case.”
Kump also spoke with ABC News, and said in a statement, “It was a privilege representing MRC in this matter. MRC stood its ground, pursued this case doggedly, and obtained the right result in the end.”
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