Kevin Spacey's sexual assault trial has been thrown into doubt after his accuser died before the case could be heard in court.
The alleged victim, a massage therapist identified only as John Doe, claimed the American actor groped him at a house in Malibu, California, in October 2016. He filed a civil suit against the Oscar winner for sexual battery, gender violence, battery, assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress and false imprisonment.
A hearing for the trial was scheduled for next May, but Spacey's lawyers revealed in a court filing this week that the man had recently died, leaving the future of the proceedings uncertain.
The accuser's estate has a 90-day time limit to be substituted into the lawsuit in order for it to proceed.
The man's lawyer, Genie Harrison, accused Spacey's legal team of manoeuvring to get the case dismissed, describing the court filing as "undignified, insensitive and inappropriate".