Yahoo News Cuba Gooding Jr. settles lawsuit that accused him of rape, averts trial
Daniele Venturelli/Getty Cuba Gooding Jr.
Cuba Gooding Jr. settled a civil lawsuit that accused him of rape, narrowly averting a trial that had been expected to include testimony from three other women who also claim the actor sexually assaulted them.
Jury selection in New York federal court had been set to begin on Tuesday, but a calendar entry declared the trial had been called off minutes after jurors began to assemble in the courtroom, according to AP.
The Oscar-winning actor, who has been accused by some 30 women of groping and other forms of unwanted touching, faced allegations that he raped a woman twice after persuading her to join him at his Manhattan hotel room in 2013.
According to the lawsuit filed in 2020, the woman met Gooding at a nearby restaurant before he coaxed her to his room, where he said he needed a wardrobe change. He then prevented her from leaving and pushed her to the bed and assaulted her, the woman alleged.
Gooding's legal representation at the time called the allegations "completely false and defamatory," maintaining the interaction was consensual.
Last April, the actor pleaded guilty to forcibly kissing an employee of a New York nightclub in 2018, which allowed him to avoid jail time for complying with terms of a conditional plea agreement. As part of the deal, Gooding completed alcohol and behavioral counseling that permitted him to withdraw the plea and instead plead guilty to a lesser harassment violation, sanitizing his criminal record.
A rep for Gooding did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment. Gloria Allred, one of the attorneys representing the woman in the rape case, declined to comment.
Related content:
