Kevin Spacey accuser drops lawsuit against actor

BOSTON (AP) — A young man who says Kevin Spacey groped him in a Nantucket bar in 2016 has dropped his lawsuit against the Oscar-winning actor, his lawyer said today.

Spacey still faces a criminal charge. He pleaded not guilty to indecent assault and battery in January.

His accuser's lawyer, Mitchell Garabedian, announced in an email the suit filed June 26 in Nantucket Superior Court has been voluntarily dismissed. No reason was provided either by Garabedian or in the court filing. Garabedian said he would have no further comment. A telephone message was left at his office.

According to the court filing, the suit was dismissed "with prejudice," which means it cannot be refiled.

An email was left today requesting comment from Alan Jackson, Spacey's attorney. Jackson has previously said the man is lying in the hopes of winning money in a civil case against Spacey.

The legal development could have significance for the criminal case against Spacey, legal experts say.

While there are a range of reasons why a civil suit is dropped so quickly after being filed, it could be an indicator a private settlement was reached and that the accuser may ultimately stop cooperating with prosecutors, said William Korman, a former prosecutor in the Suffolk County District Attorney's office who is now a criminal defense lawyer specializing in sexual assault cases.

"Any settlement could not be conditioned on a refusal to cooperate with the prosecution," said Korman. "Nevertheless, money is a great motivator for an individual not to follow through."