Spacey accusers due to appear in court Monday in battle over cellphone
The family accusing actor Kevin Spacey of groping their son is due in court Monday at a high-stakes hearing in the criminal case against the now-disgraced Oscar winner.
Media will again descend on Nantucket for the 10 a.m. hearing over the accuser’s apparently missing cellphone, which has emerged as a hotly contested topic at the center of the high-profile case against Spacey.
The charge against the “House of Cards” star, 59, stems from allegations made by the son of former WCVB anchor Heather Unruh, who accused the Oscar winner of putting a hand down the then-18-year-old’s pants at an upscale bar on Nantucket in July 2016.
The hearing comes just days after a civil suit filed on June 27 by Garabedian on behalf of Unruh’s son against Spacey was withdrawn with prejudice, meaning it can’t be refiled.
There was no word of any possible settlement or any other reason to explain why the civil case was suddenly dropped.
Judge Thomas Barrett, who’s been overseeing the criminal case, has ordered Unruh’s son to turn over his cellphone, which the family says is missing. The judge gave the family an ultimatum for Monday that Unruh, her son and the accuser’s father — plus their attorney Mitchell Garabedian — either produce the phone or show up and tell the court why they can’t.
Spacey’s attorneys claim the phone contains exculpatory evidence.
Garabedian has said that Unruh’s son won’t voluntarily appear, but his father will.
The media-friendly local attorney — whose email signature notes his portrayal in the movie “Spotlight” — could not be reached for comment on Sunday. He has routinely declined comment while the criminal charge against Spacey remains pending.
Garabedian has been working with Unruh and her son since the attorney and former newscaster held a news conference a year and a half ago making the allegations public.
Spacey, known for films such as “The Usual Suspects,” “American Beauty” and “Se7en,” is accused of groping the teenager after his shift as a busboy at the Club Car bar ended. Unruh’s son told police that Spacey got him drunk and then stuck his hand down the then-teen’s pants for several minutes.
More than a dozen other people, many in the entertainment business, have accused Spacey of sexual impropriety, but the Nantucket criminal charge is the only one filed against the actor.
A media circus descended on the island on a chilly morning in January when Spacey flew in from his Baltimore home and appeared in district court.