CNN
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After about five hours on the witness stand, Kevin Spacey finished testifying in his defense in a sexual misconduct trial, stemming from allegations made by actor Anthony Rapp.
Rapp, best known for his role in “Star Trek: Discovery,” claims that in 1986, Spacey, then 26, invited Rapp, then 14, to his Manhattan home where he picked Rapp up, laid him down on his bed, grabbed his buttocks and pressed his groin into Rapp’s body without his consent.
He is suing Spacey for battery.
Spacey grew emotional multiple times during his testimony, including when he discussed a statement he put out shortly after Rapp went public with his allegations in 2017 to BuzzFeed.
Spacey has said in his testimony that his publicity team at the time advised him that he’d be labeled a victim blamer if he pushed back.
“I was being encouraged to apologize and I’ve learned a lesson which is never apologize for something you didn’t do,” Spacey testified on Monday. “I regret my entire statement.”
On Tuesday, Spacey added: “It was beyond horrifying that I was being accused of doing something that in my heart I knew I had not done.”
Rapp’s attorney Richard Steigman pushed Spacey to take accountability for the statement despite whatever advice he may have taken from his team.
“The buck stops with you, right, sir?” he asked.
“It does in the end,” Spacey said.
The next witness called by Spacey’s attorneys will be Alexander Bardey, a psychiatrist.
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