Actor Kevin Spacey has appeared in court to face a charge of indecent assault and battery stemming from an allegation of groping in 2016.
US actor Kevin Spacey wades through a media frenzy as he makes his appearance during his arraignment in Nantucket, Massachusetts, on Monday. Photo: AFP / Joseph Prezioso
The Boston Globe reported a not-guilty plea was entered on the two-time Oscar winner's behalf during the hearing in the US state of Massachusetts.
He is accused of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old male after plying him with alcohol at a bar in Nantucket in 2016. His accuser is the son of former television news presenter Heather Unruh, who spoke publicly about the incident last year.
She accused Spacey of buying her then 18-year-old son alcohol - the drinking age in Massachusetts is 21 - and then groping him.
The victim, who is also suing Mr Spacey in civil court, will not be present during the criminal trial.
Assault claims against Spacey have also surfaced in London and Los Angeles. The 59-year-old actor was mobbed by media as he arrived at the packed Nantucket courtroom on Monday after arriving by private jet.
Wearing a grey suit with polka-dot tie and floral shirt, the actor looked composed and nodded when Judge Thomas Barrett told him he was not allowed to contact the alleged victim.
A lawyer for Spacey - whose legal name is Kevin S Fowler - had earlier asked the judge to allow the hearing to happen without the defendant present, but that request was refused.
Kevin Spacey sits in chair while the legal teams meet during his arraignment at Nantucket District Court on Monday. Photo: AFP / Nicole Harnishfeger
He was released without having to pay bail by the judge after a 10-minute hearing.
The next court date was set for 4 March. Spacey will not be required to appear at that pre-trial hearing, as long as he is available by phone, the judge ruled.
Spacey is one of dozens of men in the entertainment industry and politics who have been accused of sexual misconduct in the past 10 months, partly as a result of the #MeToo social media movement.
The star actor's career offers dried up after he was accused by actor Anthony Rapp in 2017 of making a sexual advance on him in 1986 when Rapp was 14 years old.
Spacey said he had no memory of the event, but publicly apologised before issuing an "absolute" denial of all other allegations.
Separately, in September, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office said Spacey would not be prosecuted over an accusation of sexual assault that allegedly took place in 1992.
It said it fell outside of California's statute of limitations.
UK police are also investigating several allegations that centre around his time serving as artistic director at London's Old Vic theatre.
The controversy has led to Spacey being axed from a number of roles, including from House of Cards and the 2017 film All the Money in the World, which was re-shot without him.
On Christmas Eve, Spacey posted a video contesting allegations against him.
In a video titled "Let Me Be Frank", he appeared in character as Frank Underwood from the Netflix series House of Cards, and said "I'm certainly not going to pay the price for the thing I didn't do".