Kevin Spacey's legal woes persist even with groping case out

FILE - In this Jan. 7, 2019 file photo, actor Kevin Spacey arrives at district court in Nantucket, Mass. On Wednesday, July 17, prosecutors dropped the sexual assault case against Oscar-winning actor, who had been accused of groping 18-year-old man in 2016 in the crowded bar at the Club Car in Nantucket. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File) Credit: The Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — Kevin Spacey's legal woes are not over, despite the collapse of the only criminal case brought against the two-time Oscar winner since he became mired in sexual misconduct allegations.

The former "House of Cards" star is still being investigated in London and Los Angeles over several allegations and faces a federal lawsuit alleging he assaulted a massage therapist.

"Just because this case may have fallen apart, that does not necessarily hamper another investigation or another prosecution," said Adam Citron, a former prosecutor who now works as a criminal defense attorney in New York.

Prosecutors in Massachusetts announced Wednesday that they were dropping the indecent assault and battery charge brought last year against Spacey, who was accused of groping an 18-year-old man at a bar on the resort island of Nantucket in 2016.

The case unraveled after the accuser invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to testify about text messages from the night of the alleged groping that the defense claimed were deleted.

In Britain, the Metropolitan Police are investigating six claims of sexual assault and assault against Spacey, who ran London's Old Vic Theatre between 2004 and 2015. British police traveled to the U.S. in May to interview Spacey about sexual assault allegations, Variety reported.

Without naming Spacey, the London force told The Associated Press this month that "a man was voluntarily interviewed under caution in America by officers from the Met's Complex Case Team. He was not arrested. Inquiries are ongoing." ''Under caution" means the interview was recorded and can be used in future prosecutions. British police don't identify suspects until they have been charged.

Los Angeles County prosecutors said last year that they were investigating allegations of a 2016 sexual assault by Spacey for possible criminal charges. A Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office spokeswoman confirmed Thursday that it "has a case under review," but would not say whether it involves the same 2016 incident.

Prosecutors there declined last year to file charges over a 1992 allegation because the statute of limitations had run out.

Spacey is also fighting a federal lawsuit in California filed by a massage therapist, who says Spacey groped him, tried to kiss him and forced him to grab Spacey's genitals.

In the Nantucket case, Spacey's lawyers had argued that the two engaged in nothing more than "consensual flirtation" and that the texts would support Spacey's claims of innocence. An attorney for the actor didn't return messages Wednesday and Thursday.

The charge was dropped less than two weeks after the man voluntarily dismissed a lawsuit against Spacey because, the accuser's lawyer said, he was emotionally overwhelmed and wanted to focus on the criminal case.

The groping allegation was first brought in 2017, days after Spacey's first accuser, actor Anthony Rapp, said Spacey climbed on top of him on a bed when Rapp was 14 and Spacey 26. Spacey said he did not remember such an encounter with Rapp but apologized if the allegations were true. Spacey also used the statement to disclose he is gay.

A slew of other accusations followed, leading to Spacey's firing from "House of Cards" and his removal from the completed movie "All the Money in the World," which was reshot with actor Christopher Plummer.

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