Kevin Spacey pleads not guilty on sexual assault charge, ordered to stay away from accuser

close

Video

Kevin Spacey arrives at Massachusetts courthouse to face charge of groping young man

Actor Kevin Spacey arrives at his arraignment in Nantucket to answer accusations that he groped an 18-year-old man in a bar on the resort island in 2016.

Kevin Spacey appeared in court Monday to answer accusations that he groped an 18-year-old man in a bar on the resort island of Nantucket in 2016.

The two-time Oscar winner pleaded not guilty to a charge of felony indecent assault and battery.

Spacey, sporting a white and purple floral printed shirt and purple tie under a taupe coat, smiled but did not respond to reporters as he entered the court.

VIDEO: SPACEY FACES THE JUDGE IN COURT

Upon entering the courtroom, Spacey sat whispering and occasionally chuckling with his attorney, Alan Jackson.

The actor at times stared directly into news cameras before the hearing began, and was instructed to be seated after standing next to Jackson.

Judge Thomas Barrett warned the gallery not to disrupt the proceedings with cellphones or electronics as Spacey peered around the room smirking.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Kevin Spacey

Prosecutors requested Spacey have no contact, direct or indirect, with his accuser, which the judge granted.

The erstwhile "House of Cards" star waived his next court appearance, scheduled for March 4.

Spacey was ordered to meet with the probation department before leaving the premises to sign the conditions of his no-contact order with the alleged victim.

Spacey's court appearance comes more than a year after former Boston TV anchor Heather Unruh accused the former "House of Cards" star of sexually assaulting her son, then 18, in the crowded bar at the Club Car, where the teen worked as a busboy.

Jackson has sought to poke holes in the case, noting that the teenager didn't immediately report the allegations. If convicted, Spacey faces up to five years in prison.

Kevin Spacey (FOX)

The civil attorney for the accuser said in a statement ahead of the hearing that his client is "leading by example."

"By reporting the sexual assault, my client is a determined and encouraging voice for those victims not yet ready to report being sexually assaulted," said lawyer Mitchell Garabedian, who has represented hundreds of clergy sexual abuse victims.

Garabedian is not a part of the criminal case against Spacey.

Media trucks lined the street before dawn, and locals on the island, which teems with tourists in the summer but quiets down in the winter, drove by slowly to take photos of reporters standing in line in the cold.

Video

When the doors opened, more than two dozen journalists packed the courtroom hours before Spacey was scheduled to appear in late morning.

It's the first criminal case brought against the 59-year-old actor since other allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced against him in 2017.

A judge denied Spacey's bid to avoid appearing in person Monday at Nantucket District Court. Spacey had argued his presence would "amplify the negative publicity already generated" by the case.

Unruh told reporters in November 2017 that Spacey got her son drunk and then grabbed his genitals during the incident. She said her son fled the restaurant when Spacey went to the bathroom.

Video

After the charge was announced last month, Spacey released a video in the voice of Frank Underwood, his character on Netflix's "House of Cards," in which he said, "I'm certainly not going to pay the price for the thing I didn't do." It was unclear whether he was referring to the charge.

Spacey has also faced other allegations.

His 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 but apologized if the allegations were true.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.