Kevin Spacey Testifies on being Ousted by "House of Cards" Producers, Claims It Was on False Grounds
by Ryan Coleman
March 11, 2026


Kevin Spacey's personal house of cards is still tumbling down.

The actor at the center of multiple legal controversies appeared in the Superior Court of California on Tuesday to testify in a trial concerning an insurance dispute over his firing from season 6 of "House of Cards".




Spacey's frank and fiery testimony, per The Hollywood Reporter, bucked expectations that he would bolster the case of the plaintiffs, Media Rights Capital, the show's production company, which is suing its insurer, Fireman’s Fund, to recoup $100 million in losses resulting from Spacey's ousting.

Rather than plead MRC's case that he suffered from a diagnosed sexual compulsion disorder, preventing him from returning to the show, Spacey alleged he was ousted because of the company's embarrassment. The disorder claim would enable producers to file a large insurance claim.




Lawyers for MRC argued in court on Tuesday that Spacey had a legitimate illness, diagnosed at an Arizona rehab facility he checked into after the "House of Cards" firing, which prevented him from returning to the series.

Michael Genovese, a psychiatrist MRC tapped as an expert witness for the trial, testified that Spacey was "unable to fulfill his duties on the set of House of Cards in 2017 as a result of this disease," per THR. He claimed "there was no way" Spacey could properly return as the conniving political operator Francis Underwood.

But Spacey rejected those claims, alleging there were "comments attributed to me that I never said" within his medical records, and that while he cannot "professionally dispute" his sexual compulsive disorder diagnosis, "I can personally dispute it."




Spacey is also embroiled in litigation regarding the spate of sexual misconduct allegations he has faced since 2017. The actor was sued by three men in November alleging numerous instances of assault. One of the plaintiffs alleges Spacey assaulted him on 12 occasions between 2000 and 2005.

The three civil claims are set to commence at London's High Court in October 2026.

https://ew.com/kevin-spacey-testifies-house-of-cards-firing-was-over-insurance-payout-11923492

Kevin Spacey’s "House of Cards" Firing: MRC Loses $29 Million Insurance Case over Sexual Addiction
by Gene Maddaus
March 25, 2026


The producer of “House of Cards” has lost an insurance trial over $29 million in production costs incurred due to the firing of Kevin Spacey in 2017.

The producer, Media Rights Capital, argued that its losses should have been covered under Spacey’s cast insurance policy, which would pay out if Spacey was unavailable due to sickness. The producer’s lawyers argued that Spacey was suffering from sex addiction.




After a five-week trial in Santa Monica, a jury found on Tuesday that Spacey’s alleged illness was not the primary reason for his departure from the show, and that therefore the insurer owed nothing. Fireman’s Fund argued that MRC actually dropped Spacey due to bad publicity.

“Fireman Fund’s intent in issuing this coverage is to cover exactly the expenses which the policy says it covers,” said attorney Leon Gladstone, who represented the insurer. “The jury upheld that intent in finding that MRC’s business decision to sever ties with Spacey would not be covered.”




Spacey was fired shortly after reports emerged about his sexual misconduct during the #MeToo movement in late 2017. His character was written off the sixth season of the show, and two episodes had to be scrapped. The final season ran to just eight episodes rather than 13. Spacey went to get treatment at The Meadows, an Arizona facility that deals with sex addiction.

Spacey testified at the trial, stating that while he was diagnosed with sexually compulsive behavior, he did not believe the diagnosis was correct.




MRC won a $31 million arbitration award against Spacey in 2021, after an arbitrator found he had violated the company’s sexual harassment policy. The company later sued Lloyd’s of London and Fireman’s Fund, on the theory that they should pay its costs under their cast insurance policies. Lloyd’s was dismissed from the case early on.

In order to pursue its claims against Fireman’s Fund, MRC needed evidence of a diagnosis, but Spacey refused to turn over his medical records. So MRC struck a deal with Spacey, whereby he would cooperate on the insurance case in exchange for a reduction in the arbitration award from $31 million to $1 million.

In the settlement, Spacey agreed to pay out the $1 million over a period of years in installments equal to 10% of his after-tax income.

https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/house-of-cards-producer-29-million-trial-kevin-spacey-1236699238/