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SDNY COURTHOUSE, Oct 6 – Anthony Rapp's lawsuit against Kevin Spacey began trial on October 6 before U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Lewis A. Kaplan.  Inner City Press attended then tweeted here.

 On the way in video I, II; afterward Space and Vlog. Here's the live tweeted thread by Inner City Press of the openings, here

On October 7, Day 2, with a stated victim of the Public Theater of Joe Papp, a Rapp friend who was told, and the beginning (direct) of Rapp himself. Thread here:

Jury entering! First witness is Andrew Holtzman [yet another Holtzman accuser. He married his husband in 2009.]

Rapp's lawyer: Let me direct your attention to 1991. Where were you working? Holtzman: Joseph Papp's NY Shakespeare Festival on Lafayette Street.

Rapp's lawyer: Tell us who Joseph Papp is. Judge Kaplan: Sustained. Get to the point. Rapp's lawyer: Did you work in a full program there?

Holtzman: Yes. For Mr. Papp's wife. I told to know Mr. Papp when he came in. I came to run a second-change film office

 Rapp's lawyer: Describe the office. Holtzman: There were two desks. Rapp's lawyer: Did you encounter Kevin Spacey? Holtzman: Yes, in the office. I was finishing up a phone call. He was wearing tight blue jeans. I saw that he was erect - then on top of me

Holtzman: He grabbed me by the crotch - for leverage - & I felt his erection against my body. He had not said anything. I was shouting. After a time he pulled away & looked angry, like it wasn't suppose to go this way Spacey's lawyer: Objection. Judge: Sustained.

Judge Kaplan: Everything after angry is stricken. Rapp's lawyer: What did you think? Spacey's lawyer: Objection. Judge: Sustained. Rapp's lawyer: What did you do next? Holtzman: I sat at my desk. [Judge Kaplan calls lawyer for a whispered sidebar]

 Judge Kaplan: Cross examination. Spacey's lawyer: You understand we're here about a party in 1986, right? Holtzman: Yes. Spacey's lawyer: You have no first hand knowledge of that party, correct? Holtzman: No first hand knowledge. 

 Spacey's lawyer: In 1991 you were 27, right? Holtzman: Yes. Spacey's lawyer: You had chest hair? Holtzman: Some. Spacey's lawyer: You felt comfortable with Mr. Papp, and were open with him about your sexual orientation, yes? Holtzman: Yes.

 Spacey's lawyer Scolnick: Mr. Papp gave your outrageous opportunities, right? Holtzman: If I said that. Scolnick: You can't explain how you knew it was Kevin Spacey when he came into the office, right? Holtzman: I can--

Scolnick: Yes or no.

 Scolnick: Other people came in to use the 2d desk, yes? Holtzman: At certain times of the year. Scolnick: Your deposition, you could review it, yes? Judge Kaplan: Let's save time. Just read from the transcript, then ask the witness about it.

 Holtzman: He lifted me up on the desk. Judge Kaplan: How much did you weight then? Holtzman: 120 or 130. Judge: Thanks. Scolnick: Did he leap over your desk in a single bound? Rapp's lawyer: Objection. Judge Kaplan: Sustained, argumentative, Superman.

 Scolnick: You screamed but no one came in, right? Holtzman: We haven't discussed where the office was. Scolnick: You didn't see him again, correct? Holtzman: Yes, thankfully. I wasn't looking for him.

 Scolnick: Isn't it true you were present at the film screenings, along with Mr. Fabiano Espinoso, yes? Holtzman: I'm not arguing he wasn't. Scolnick: Now there's a Joe's Pub, right? Holtzman: There wasn't then.

 Scolnick: That was the entrance, and Mr. Spacey sat there with Dolores, right? Holtzman: I never saw him. I'm being truthful, I'm under oath. Dolores was a wonderful character. I never saw Kevin Spacey again. Scolnick: Mr. Spacey was an assistant to Mr Papp, yes?

Holtzman: Not that I remember. I can name two other names. Scolnick: You never told Mr. Papp about your Kevin Spacey story, right? Holtzman: I didn't tell anyone at the Public Theater.

 Scolnick: You told it for the first time on Facebook in 2017, yes? Holtzman: To my friends. Scolnick: And there were 58 responses, by people who did not know the story, right? Holtzman: They were very compassionate.

 Scolnick: You kept a journal, didn't you? Holtzman: I couldn't find them. Scolnick: I asked you for a copy of these alleged journals, right? Holtzman: We keep a lot of things over the years, and some don't last.

Scolnick: Mr. Papp could have ended Mr. Spacey's career, yes? Holtzman: I suppose. Scolnick: Nothing further. Judge: Re-direct. Rapp's lawyer: You said you didn't want to see the play Henry IV. Why not? Scolnick: Objection! Judge: Sustained.

Rapp's lawyer: You said retribution, meaning what? Holtzman: I was frightened and confused, I thought Kevin Spacey might tell Mr. Papp I'd done something. Rapp's lawyer: Who were the secretaries to Mr. Papp? Holtzman: Louise, the guardian to Mr. Trump, I mean Papp

Rapp's lawyer: Had you told people about what Spacey did? Holtzman: Yes. We'd be watching the Oscars and people would bring him up. And if comfortable I'd tell the story. Rapp's lawyer: Any doubt it was Mr. Spacey? Holtzman: None. Rapp's lawyer: Nothing further.

After a break, next witness is Christopher Denny. He came NYC in 1979 with "stars in his eyes for music and theater. His mother was on Broadway in the 50s. Rapp's lawyer: How did you meet Anthony Rapp? Denny: He was in an off-Broadway play called Sophistry.

Rapp's lawyer: Did Anthony tell you what happened with Mr. Spacey? Denny: Yes. He told me he went to a side room to watch TV. That Spacey came in and got on top of him... Cross examination.

Spacey's lawyer: Let me know you your deposition testimony. Denny: Let me get my glasses out (sighs). Spacey's lawyer (reading) you said, a door or something. Denny: May I explain? Judge: This is not an essay question.

Spacey's lawyer: Did you read Mr. Rapp's book, the part about abusing his partner? Denny: Somewhat.  Judge: Next witness. Rapp's lawyer: Next is a video deposition of Sean Snow, who says "picked up like a bride"

 Q: How did you meet Mr. Rapp? Snow: On the set of School Ties, in 1991. Then I moved to NYC in 1992.  Q: Did he ever have an unhealthy relationship? Snow: Yes, with Joshua Safron, who is deeply insecure. He was parsimonious in his praise of Anthony

 Q: Have you ever had a romantic relationship with Mr. Rapp? Snow: No. End of video. Next witness... Anthony Rapp. Drum roll.

There was an hour-long lunch break. Here's Rapp. Rapp's lawyer: Anthony, where do you live?

Rapp: The East Village. With my husband Ken. Rapp's lawyer: Where did you go to college? Rapp: To NYU for a short time. They didn't have any financial aid left for me.


Rapp's lawyer: Tell me about the plays you were in. Judge Kaplan: Can we move this along to something more relevant?

Rapp's lawyer: May we have a sidebar?

Judge: No.

Rapp's lawyer: Tell me about one play. Rapp: At 9 I was an understudy to Tiny Tim.

 Rapp: I was looking for work, I got a job at Starbucks - then I got the part in Rent. I was in it for 2 years. Rapp's lawyer: What awards did Rent win? Rapp: The Tony, and the Pulitzer Prize posthumously. Rapp's lawyer: How about TV? Rapp: I did Law & Order SVU

 Rapp: I was on Star Trek Discovery. We're filming our fifth season now.  My character is openly gay.

Rapp's lawyer: What was it like, to be cast as the first openly gay character in Star Trek? Spacey's lawyer: Objection, irrelevant. Judge Kaplan: Sustained. Rapp's lawyer: Who was a mentor to you?

 Rapp: Ed Harris. Rapp's lawyer: How do you choose your projects? Spacey's lawyer: Objection, irrelevant. Judge Kaplan: Sustained.

Rapp's lawyer: Can we have a sidebar?

 Judge: No.

 Rapp's lawyer: Let's talk about your sexual orientation. Rapp: Larry Kramer was a- Spacey's lawyer: Objection, non-responsive and irrelevant. Judge Kaplan: It is stricken. Rapp's lawyer: How was working with adults? Rapp: Yul Brenner told me, "Get out of my way!"

 Rapp's lawyer: You can to NYC to do Precious Sons? Rapp: Yes. Ed Harris played my father. It was a great time. I was going to Tower Records, I was in the theater community. Rapp's lawyer: You met Kevin Spacey? Rapp: At a function. I knew that he was in Long Day's Journey into Night

Rapp: I also met Lilly Tomlin... I felt I was treated like a peer. Rapp's lawyer: When you went backstage at Long Day's Journey into Night, what happened?

Rapp: There's a private area. Kevin Spacey received us.

 Rapp: I congratulated him as I had Jack Lemmon, who'd met us first. Later we went out to dinner with Kevin Spacey.

Rapp's lawyer: Then where did you go? Rapp: The Limelight nightclub. I'd never been there and I had no ID. Kevin Spacey got me in.

 Rapp: Later he had a party on the Upper East Side. I walked from 81st to off of 2nd Ave in the 60s, a tall black glass high rise. Upstairs, Kevin Spacey was the only one I knew.  I went to the window, and I saw the bedroom with the TV in it, to the side.

 Rapp's lawyer: Did you draw the apartment at your deposition? Rapp: I did... Rapp's lawyer: In the incident, where was his torso? Rapp: On mine. But not parallel.  Rapp's lawyer: What were you thinking? Rapp: I was (pause) I knew something was really wrong

 Rapp's lawyer: What did you think when he said Are you sure you want to leave? Spacey's lawyer: Objection, calls for speculation.

Judge Kaplan: Overruled. Rapp: That he wanted me to stay. But I left. Judge Kaplan: I promised the jurors they could leave at 3:30, so they can. Mr. Rapp, step down. Counsel, please remain.

And then Judge Kaplan asks the defense, Will you be making a Rule 50 motion? Yes.

Judge Kaplan: I'm not forecasting my ruling...

[But?]

Watch this site.

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