Kevin Spacey's attorneys denied paying a settlement to the man's estate

A lawsuit against disgraced House of Cards actor Kevin Spacey has been dismissed, after the death of the plaintiff.

The case had been brought against Spacey by a male massage therapist, who alleged he was forced to touch Spacey’ genitals during a massage, also alleging that the actor attempted to forcibly kiss him.

Kevin Spacey lawsuit dismissed after accuser’s death

However, on Monday the US District Court in Los Angeles dismissed the case following the death of the accuser, whose name is not public as he had been granted anonymity in the legal action.

In the wake of the death, Spacey and the man’s estate agreed to dismiss the case with prejudice – an outcome typical of when an out-of-court settlement has been reached, as no further action can be brought on the issue.

However, Spacey’s lawyers have publicly denied there was any financial settlement paid to the man’s estate.

The actor’s attorney Jennifer L. Keller told the Los Angeles Times: “Contrary to some news reports, Mr. Spacey paid no money to ‘settle’ the lawsuit.

“The plaintiff’s estate simply decided to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning it cannot be [refiled] and we agreed to the dismissal.”

Deaths and abrupt U-turns end sexual misconduct lawsuits

The man was not the only Kevin Spacey accuser to die in the past year.

Norwegian author Ari Behn, who had accused the actor of groping him at a Nobel Peace Prize concert, died by suicide on December 25 this year.

Meanwhile, an unnamed man in Boston, Massachusetts who said he was groped by Spacey abruptly dropped legal action against him in July.

Spacey has largely remained silent since the first allegations against him – brought by Star Trek actor Anthony Rapp – were made public in 2017.

However, he has spoken out on two occasions, releasing videos as his House of Cards alter ego Frank Underwood.

In the most recent video, released last week, an in-character Spacey said “It’s been a pretty good year.”

He added: “As we walk into 2020, I want to cast my vote for more good in this world. I know what you’re thinking, can he be serious? I’m dead serious.

“The next time someone does something you don’t like, you can go on the attack, but you could also hold your fire and do the unexpected. You can… kill them with kindness.”

The clip has fuelled conspiracy theories about Spacey, with YouTube commenters pointing to the series of serendipitous deaths and withdrawn lawsuits.