Australia, insurance, car, home, live, holidays

Kevin Spacey played Frank Underwood in<i>House of Cards</i>. — Kevin Spacey played Frank Underwood inHouse of Cards.

MRC,the studio behind the show,had to fire Spacey,halt production of its sixth season,rewrite it to remove Spacey’s central character,and shorten it from 13 to eight episodes to meet deadlines,resulting in tens of millions in losses,the document said.

“The safety of our employees,sets and work environments is of paramount importance to MRC and why we set out to push for accountability,” MRC said in a statement.

The arbitrator issued a reward of more than $US30 million,including compensatory damages and lawyers’ fees.

A representative for Spacey did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. His lawyers argued that the actor’s actions were not a substantial factor in the show’s losses.

The ruling came after a legal fight of more than three years and an eight-day evidentiary hearing that was kept secret from the public,along with the rest of the dispute.

Spacey appealed the decision to a panel of three more private arbitrators,who found for the plaintiffs,making the decision final,and public,on Monday (Tuesday AEDT).

“MRC stood its ground,pursued this case doggedly,and obtained the right result in the end,” plaintiff’s lawyer Michael Kump said in a statement.

The 62-year-old Oscar winner’s career came to an abrupt halt late in 2017 as the #MeToo movement gained momentum.

Actor Anthony Rapp,who has appeared inRent on Broadway and film as well as inStar Trek:Discovery on television,said Spacey made a sexual advance on him when he was 14 at a party in the 1980s.

At the time,Spacey issued a statement saying he didn’t remember the encounter but apologised.

Several other accusers followed. Some,including Rapp,have filed lawsuits.

Independent investigations found widespread sexual harassment of those who worked under him.

Spacey was fired or removed from several projects,most notablyHouse of Cards,the Netflix political thriller where for five seasons he played lead character Frank Underwood,a power-hungry congressman who becomes president.

The one criminal case brought against him,an indecent assault and battery charge stemming from the alleged groping of an 18-year-old man at a Nantucket resort,was dismissed by Massachusetts prosecutors in 2019.