The makers of House of Cards sue Lloyd’s of London and another insurer for £40 million over Kevin Spacey’s ‘sex addiction’

• Hollywood production company claims Spacey’s ‘sex addiction’ was an illness

The makers of House of Cards are suing Lloyd’s of London and another insurer for £40 million, claiming Kevin Spacey’s alleged sex addiction was an illness they should have been covered for.

Media Rights Capital, which produced the hit Netflix drama, is attempting to recoup some of the huge costs it incurred in 2017 when it sacked Spacey as the show’s star after various men accused him of sexual misconduct.

The Hollywood production company claims Spacey’s reported problems with sex addiction constitute a genuine illness. 

It is suing Lloyd’s of London and Fireman’s Fund, another insurer, in a Los Angeles court for the $50 million (£41 million) it says it lost after the series had to be suspended and rewritten, and three planned spin-off series scrapped. 

At the time, the 64-year-old star was being treated at Gentle Path at The Meadows, a glitzy £23,000-a-month rehabilitation centre in Arizona.

The Hollywood production company claims Spacey’s reported problems with sex addiction constitute a genuine illness

While Spacey, currently trying to resurrect his career and reputation after being acquitted in a UK court of sexual assault against four men between 2004 and 2013, later insisted he wasn’t a ‘sex addict’, the Hollywood producers say the illness was genuine and should have been covered by the insurers.

The latter counter that it was actually the public scandal sparked by the misconduct allegations that led to House of Cards tumbling down and that Spacey’s sexual proclivities had never stopped him from acting. 

The underwriters’ policies cover for illness and sickness but don’t detail exactly what is included.

However, Media Rights Capital (MRC) – which first approached the underwriters for compensation in 2019 – has argued in court that Lloyd’s had previously been happy to take on unusual celebrity risks similar to Spacey’s sex drive, such as Keith Richards’ hands, David Beckham’s legs and Bruce Springsteen’s voice.

Spacey – who is not involved in the court battle – has never revealed exactly what treatment he received in Arizona but he has always denied any sexual impropriety. He has also refused to disclose his medical records to lawyers involved in the LA case.

Further muddying the waters, the underwriters claim that MRC knew about Spacey’s sexual behaviour long before the scandal erupted in 2017 when actor Anthony Rapp accused the star of making sexual advances towards him when he was 14.

A string of other men in both the US and UK, where Spacey was artistic director of the Old Vic Theatre, subsequently came forward with allegations. 

Some of them came from people with whom he had worked on House of Cards, an adaptation of British writer Michael Dobbs’ novel.

The makers of House of Cards are suing Lloyd’s of London and another insurer for £40 million

Media Rights Capital (MRC) – which first approached the underwriters for compensation in 2019 – has argued in court that Lloyd’s had previously been happy to take on unusual celebrity risks

According to the Lloyd’s underwriters, MRC hired a private investigator to look into Spacey’s conduct back in 2012 after an executive producer reported seeing the actor inappropriately touching a young man and putting his arm around a young actor. After the investigator concluded that Spacey had been at fault, he underwent sexual harassment training. At the time, it is claimed, MRC wasn’t covered by the Lloyd’s policy.

MRC first asked its insurers for compensation over Spacey in 2019 and was turned down.

In 2022, a US judge ruled Spacey must pay $31 million (£25.5 million) to MRC in compensation for the disruption he caused, although he is appealing.

Spacey received a standing ovation on Monday night when he appeared at Oxford University and performed a Shakespeare monologue during a lecture about cancel culture.

However, in an illustration that public opinion is still very much divided over Spacey, it was revealed this week that London’s Prince Charles Cinema dropped its offer to host a premiere of a new Welsh thriller, Control, when it discovered the actor provides the voice for one of the characters.

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