Kevin Spacey.Photo: Ernesto Ruscio/Getty Images
Kevin Spaceywas ordered last year to pay nearly $31 million to the studio behind Netflix’sHouse of Cardsfor breach of contract afterviolating the company’s sexual harassment policy, court documents reveal.
The arbitration award came to light Monday when production company MRC filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court to confirm the award. MRC severed ties with Spacey, 62, in 2017, followingmultiple allegations of sexually predatory behavioragainst the actor.
Spacey and his production companies, M. Profitt Productions and Trigger Street Productions, were ordered to pay $29.5 million in damages, plus $1.2 million in attorneys' fees and $235,000 in additional costs.
“The safety of our employees, sets and work environments is of paramount importance to MRC and why we set out to push for accountability,” MRC said in a statement on Monday.
Attorney Michael J. Kump of Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump Holley LLP also said, “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.”
Representatives for Spacey did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Kevin Spacey.Steven Senne/AP/Shutterstock
MRC ultimately terminated Spacey’s contract and his character, Frank Underwood, waswritten out of the show. Thesixth and final season was rewrittenand the number of episodes was reduced from 13 to eight. The studio later filed the arbitration action against Spacey for breach of contract in January 2019, claiming productionsuffered “substantial losses"due to his behavior.
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“With one exception, the Arbitrator found the third party witnesses to be credible, and found the allegations against Spacey to be true,” the petition states. “The Arbitrator found that Spacey’s conduct constituted a material breach of his acting and executive producing agreements with MRC, and that his breaches excused MRC’s obligations to pay him any further compensation in connection with the show.”
According to the petition, “Spacey’s egregious breaches of contract” also made him and his companies liable for MRC’s tens of millions of extra costs.
source: people.com
