Kevin Spacey To Pay $1M To House Of Cards Producer Over Sexual Misconduct Contract Breach

House Of Cards actor Kevin Spacey will pay $1 million to the production company behind the show, to settle claims that he sexually harassed young male staffers on the show. Spacey was dropped from the final season of the show in 2017. He had agreed to pay the $1 million over multiple years in installments equal to 10 percent of his after-tax income. 

Kevin Spacey vs House of Cards

Spacey was facing a $31 million judgment in the case after an arbitrator found that the allegations were credible and that the production company MRC deserved to recoup its costs for scrapping the final season and starting over without him, reports Variety.

The company has also secured Spacey’s cooperation in trying to recoup the balance of its costs from someone better able to pay: its insurance company. In April 2022, MRC sued Fireman’s Fund and Lloyd’s of London on the theory that Spacey’s absence from the show was covered by their cast insurance policies.

Productions obtain cast insurance to protect themselves in case a key actor becomes too sick to perform. 

Kevin Spacey turns witness against insurance company

MRC noted that shortly after it was reported on Spacey’s misconduct, he checked himself into the Meadows, a facility in Arizona that provides treatment for sex addiction. The company argued that this qualifies as a sickness that triggers the policies.

On December 18, the company MRC made its deal with Spacey. MRC agreed to lower the amount Spacey owed from $36 million including accrued interest to $1 million. In exchange, Spacey agreed to testify in the insurance case, to be examined by doctors for each side, and to provide his medical records within 10 days.

(with inputs from IANS)