Kevin Spacey sexual assault accuser dies ahead of trial

An anonymous massage therapist who sued Kevin Spacey accusing the actor of sexual assault has died, likely spelling the end of yet another legal battle for the former "House of Cards" star.

What are the details?

The deceased accuser, identified in court documents as "John Doe," claimed Spacey grabbed the masseuse's genitals multiple times during a treatment at a private home in Malibu in 2016. According to the alleged victim, Spacey also forced the therapist to touch his genitals, and the actor tried to block the man from fleeing after propositioning him.

"What are you doing? This is ridiculous. I am a professional," Mr. Doe allegedly told Spacey during the incident, according to the lawsuit. "This is what I do for a living. I have a son."

Mr. Doe's attorney, Genie Harrison, issued a statement to The Hollywood Reporter confirming her client's passing, saying:

It's true that Mr. Doe recently died. His untimely death was, to his family, a devastating shock that they are struggling to process and is so recent that they have not yet held his funeral service. Out of professional responsibility, we notified Spacey's counsel of Mr. Doe's passing. We explained our intent to allow his family more time to get past their immediate, paralyzing grief and begin settling his affairs before we filed a death notice with the court — which is our prerogative as his counsel. Spacey ignored our request for compassion and filed the notice yesterday without our consent.

Mr. Doe's family must now open his estate at the same time as planning a funeral and processing their grief. Mr. Doe was a dignified, kind, middle-aged man traumatized by Spacey's alleged sexually depraved attack. As a result of this case, other victims from around the world have reached out to our firm. Mr. Doe believed their harrowing stories, and in his final months he looked forward to standing up for all of them. His fight for justice is still very much alive.

While it is still possible for Mr. Doe's case to move forward by the heirs of his estate, it would be difficult if not impossible given the absence of the most important witness.

Anything else?

Spacey has been in and out of court for years, defending himself against numerous accusations of sexual misconduct. A separate civil suit accusing the actor of groping was dropped by another man in July, and the criminal case was dropped the same month, according to Entertainment Tonight.

Mr. Spacey vehemently denies all the allegations against him.