Actor Kevin Spacey has been ordered by a Los Angeles judge to pay around $31 million to MRC Entertainment, the producers of Netflix's hit series "House of Cards," after he was kicked off of the show for alleged sexual misconduct behind the scenes.
The order came down last year to pay MRC after claims of sexual misconduct on young crew members forced show leadership to push for his exit. Superior Court Judge Mel Red Recana confirmed the award that had been previously ordered in October 2020.
Spacey denies the allegations and had filed an appeal to overturn the judgment.
The award ordered was for around $29.5 million in damages plus $1.5 million in costs and fees to be added on top of that, Variety reported.
Earlier this year, the BBC reported, Spacey's lawyers tried to have the $31 million award thrown out by saying, in his defense, what was called sexual misconduct on set was just some "sexual innuendos" or "innocent horseplay" which didn't violate MRC Entertainment's anti-harassment policy.
Judge Recana ruled on Thursday that Spacey's legal team failed "to demonstrate that this is even a close case." Therefore, Spacey will have to pay the award originally handed down in October.
MRC argued that Spacey owed them damages after they were forced to kick him off of the sixth season of the show, and the production company said they had to cut the season down from 13 episodes to eight.
