Oscar Winner Cuba Gooding Jr. Settles Civil Sex Abuse Case, Averting Trial

NEW YORK — Cuba Gooding Jr. has resolved allegations that he raped a woman at a New York City hotel ten years ago, according to court papers, it was disclosed Tuesday, just before a trial was about to start. The actor and the woman met at a nearby restaurant, and the actor had argued through lawyers that their interaction was consensual.

The Oscar-winning “Jerry Maguire” actor was accused of meeting the lady in Manhattan, getting her to go with him to a hotel, and stopping at his room so he could change clothes. The trial was set to begin with jury selection in New York federal court.

A calendar item in the official court record read: “Trial OFF,” minutes before jurors appear in a courtroom. The clause stated: “Reason for cancellation (on consent): The parties have resolved the matter.”

Before this week, when Judge Paul A. Crotty decided that the lady would have to give her name at trial, the woman had been proceeding anonymously. According to her claim, Gooding sexually assaulted her in his bedroom. However, his solicitors argued that it was consenting intercourse and that she boasted to others later.

In the complaint, $6 million in losses were demanded. One of several lawyers representing the woman, Gloria Allred, chose not to comment. Requests for a response from other solicitors, including those defending Gooding, were not promptly fulfilled.

According to the authorities, the claim was brought against a guy who has been accused of engaging in inappropriate behavior, such as groping, unwanted kissing, and other acts, with more than 30 additional women.

Cuba Gooding Jr. has resolved allegations that he raped a woman at a New York City hotel ten years ago.

By deciding to allow three women to testify that they, too, experienced sudden sexual assaults or attempted sexual assaults after meeting Gooding in social settings like festivals, bars, nightclubs, and restaurants late last week, the judge appeared to strengthen the woman’s position at trial and in settlement talks.

Kelsey Harbert, who alleged that Gooding fondled her without her permission at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge close to Times Square in 2019, was one of the women who had intended to testify at the trial.

Last year, Gooding avoided jail time and a criminal record by entering a guilty plea in a New York state court, and Harbert stated that Gooding never having her day in court was “more disappointing than words can say.”

Gooding, who has starred in films like ‘Boyz n the Hood’ and ‘Radio’, was allowed to enter a guilty plea for a misdemeanor in April 2022 after admitting that he kissed a club employee violently in 2018.

Gooding was allowed to withdraw his guilty plea and plead guilty to a non-criminal harassment offense, erasing his criminal record and avoiding further punishments. He also completed six months of alcohol and behavioral counseling.

SOURCE – (AP)