Kevin Spacey acknowledged in court that he was diagnosed with “sexual compulsive behavior” during testimony in a California civil trial tied to his exit from House of Cards.
The 66-year-old actor took the stand in a Santa Monica courtroom while testifying in a dispute between the show’s production company and its insurer over coverage related to the disruption of production in 2017.
During the testimony, Spacey read aloud from a psychiatric summary issued after his stay at The Meadows treatment facility in Arizona. The document listed diagnoses including “sexual compulsive behavior” and generalized anxiety disorder.
When asked whether he had any medical reason to dispute those diagnoses, Spacey told the court he did not.
Spacey said he entered the facility in 2017 as allegations of sexual misconduct began to emerge publicly.
“I went there to help myself,” Spacey testified. “My life felt like it was falling apart. I needed to take care of myself and find answers.”
He explained that his goal during treatment was to address issues related to personal boundaries and behavior.
However, Spacey also challenged parts of the medical records presented during the trial, claiming that certain statements attributed to him were inaccurate.
One note suggested he described “touching in public without permission” as a problem behavior. Spacey denied making that statement.
“Throughout the medical records, there are comments attributed to me that I never said,” he told the court, adding that some notes appeared to confuse basic personal details about him.
The trial centers on whether an insurance policy should cover losses tied to House of Cards halting production in 2017 after allegations against Spacey became public.
Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company argues that its policy only covers losses caused by medically verified incapacitating illnesses and that production stopped due to the allegations rather than a qualifying medical condition.
Media Rights Capital, the production company behind the series, argues that Spacey’s medical issues were relevant to the situation.
The allegations against Spacey first surfaced in October 2017 when actor Anthony Rapp claimed that Spacey made an unwanted sexual advance toward him in 1986. Additional accusations from crew members later followed.
Spacey has denied the allegations. A New York jury in 2022 found him not liable in the civil case brought by Rapp, and in 2023 he was acquitted of sexual assault charges in the United Kingdom involving four men.
An arbitrator previously ruled that Spacey owed Media Rights Capital damages related to production losses, though the actor later reached a settlement that reduced the payment to $1 million as part of cooperation in the insurance dispute.
The trial continues as both sides present arguments over whether the insurer must cover the financial losses connected to the show’s final season overhaul.
