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High Court Sets October 2026 Window for Kevin Spacey Civil Assault Trials

The court's next step is deciding whether to hear the Old Vic‑era claims together or in separate trials.

Overview

  • Three men have brought civil claims alleging sexual assaults linked to Spacey’s Old Vic tenure, with incidents said to span from 2000 to 2015.
  • Mrs Justice Lambert provisionally allocated a three‑week window in October 2026 and kept the cases in the High Court for coordinated case management.
  • Spacey denies wrongdoing, has filed formal defenses to two claims, and has not yet submitted a defense in the third filed in September.
  • Claimants seek a single combined trial, led by Elizabeth‑Anne Gumbel KC, while Spacey’s counsel William McCormick KC argues for separate proceedings and wants one claim heard in the county court.
  • Ruari Cannon has waived anonymity and is also suing the Old Vic, while the other two claimants remain anonymized; allegations include a dozen incidents between 2000 and 2005 and claimed psychiatric and financial harm from an alleged 2008 assault, set against Spacey’s 2023 criminal acquittal in London and earlier U.S. civil outcomes.