Cuba Gooding Jr settles rape lawsuit before civil trial
Actor Cuba Gooding Jr has settled a rape lawsuit ahead of the start of a civil trial. He was alleged of raping an unnamed woman in a hotel room in New York City in 2013.
Gooding was due to face trial on June 6th, which was expected to feature damning testimonies against him from several women. However, shortly before he was set to arrive in court, the Associated Press revealed that “the parties have resolved the matter”. He has previously consistently claimed it was a consensual act. While she stated they had met at a bar, and he persuaded her to go to his hotel room while he got changed, which is when the alleged incident occurred.
While the accuser has remained anonymous so far, last week, Judge Paul A. Crotty stated she must reveal her name during the trial. Crotty also allowed three more women to testify in the case, who were set to allege Gooding Jr had sexually assaulted them or attempted to sexually assault them when they were in his company. The claimant sought $6million in damages.
Last year, Gooding Jr publicly pleaded guilty to a single count of forcibly touching, following three separate accusations of assault in 2018 and 2019. In this specific case, the Jerry Maguire actor was arrested in 2019 after a 29-year-old woman claimed the actor groped her without any verbal consent at the Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge in Manhattan. He was caught on surveillance footage, exhibiting the actor placing his hand on her leg and chest.
Gooding Jr won the Academy Award for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for his turn in Jerry Maguire. The actor has not worked on a feature since his arrest in 2020.
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