Kevin Spacey is Not Guilty Yet is He Innocent?
Spacey may have taken a loss with his win
Court and the legal system sometimes delivers justice — as abstract a term as there is — yet outcomes are often determined by matters other than facts and truth. That’s well known. With actor Kevin Spacey being found not guilty of sexual assault by a jury in Britain, the question is, did he get the relief he deserved or is the verdict an instance of winning a case and still being worthy of scorn?
Who knows, really. The entertainment industry and the court of public opinion still have yet to rule, but they will.
“Since 2017 we’ve been watching the fall of Kevin Spacey unfold; more than 30 men accused Spacey of sexual assault or inappropriate behavior — to which the actor responded by coming out as gay then retreating for “evaluation and treatment,” eventually denying all allegations and occasionally posting truly creepy Christmas videos,” wrote Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times.
“During the almost monthlong trial in London, the court heard from four men who said that Mr. Spacey assaulted them between 2001 and 2013,” wrote Alex Marshall of the New York Times.
Not guilty.
What did Spacey have to say after the verdict, upon which he cried and sighed with relief?
“I imagine that many of you can understand that there’s a lot for me to process,” he said. “I’m enormously grateful to the jury for having taken the time to examine all of the evidence.”
“I am humbled by the outcome,” he added, before getting into a cab, Marshall wrote.
Seems like a respectful person who sounds innocent. Critics will say, “Well yeah, he’s an actor. Of course he can play a character anytime he wants.” Maybe they’re correct.
What McNamara communicated about the verdict is a comment that can be used for many legal outcomes, “it’s a legal win, not a moral one.”
Spacey earns the “win” now as well as in the public record thanks to the court ruling but the unsavory details of the testimony also likely earned him a loss in the minds of many followers of the trial and critics of Spacey — and men — who can afford to pay attorneys whatever they ask for to protect them.
That will also be part of his name moving forward.
Michael Toebe writes “Reputation Notes” and is the founder and specialist at Reputation Quality, a practice that serves and assists successful people and organizations in further building reputation as an asset and responsibly, ethically protecting, restoring or reconstructing it.
Subscribe for free or choose a paid subscription for “extra.” Whatever is appealing.
Want your services or products to be seen in Reputation Notes or discuss a partnership? Let’s talk about it to see how you can benefit.
Contact me (Michael) at Reputation.Notes@gmail.com and you and I can talk about your objectives and value offering and create an impressive visual ad and message to prominently, impressively display in the newsletter for a month at a time, or longer.