Cuba Gooding Jr. settles civil sex abuse case

OAN’s Brooke Mallory
3:27 PM – Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Cuba Gooding Jr. has settled allegations that he raped a woman at a New York City hotel ten years ago, according to court documents that were disclosed on Tuesday, just before the trial was about to start.

The actor and woman in question had met at a nearby restaurant, but Gooding Jr. consistently argued through his lawyers that their interaction was consensual.

The details behind the Oscar-winning “Jerry Maguire” actor’s latest incident described how he had met the woman in Manhattan, convinced her to go with him and check in to a hotel he was staying at, before finally convincing her to come to his room so that he “could change clothes.” The trial was set to begin with jury selection in New York federal court.

A calendar entry in the official court record read: “Trial OFF,” minutes before jurors were scheduled to start showing up in a courtroom. The clause further stated: “Reason for cancellation (on consent): The parties have resolved the matter.”

Last week, Judge Paul A. Crotty decided that the woman would have to state her name at trial. She had previously been proceeding anonymously. According to her claim, Gooding Jr. sexually assaulted her in his hotel room. However, his attorneys maintained that it was consenting intercourse and that she had even boasted about it later on to her friends.

In the complaint, $6 million in damages were demanded. Gloria Allred, one of several lawyers who were representing the woman, chose not to comment.

The claim was brought against Gooding Jr., who, authorities claim, has been accused of engaging in inappropriate behavior, such as groping, unwanted kissing, and other non-consenting sensual acts, with more than 30 additional women.

The judge appeared to back the woman’s position at the trial and in settlement talks late last week, by allowing three additional women to testify about their similar experiences of sudden or attempted sexual assault when they met Gooding Jr. as well in social settings like festivals, bars, nightclubs, and restaurants late last week.

By allowing three additional women to testify about their similar experiences of sudden or attempted sexual assault when they met Gooding Jr. in public places like festivals, bars, nightclubs, and restaurants late last week, the judge gave the impression that he supported the woman’s claims during the trial and in settlement negotiations.

Kelsey Harbert, who alleged that Gooding Jr. fondled her without her permission at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge near 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 movies like “Boyz n the Hood” and “Radio,” was allowed to enter a guilty plea to a misdemeanor in April 2022 after admitting that he forcibly kissed a club employee in 2018.

The actor was permitted to withdraw his guilty plea and instead plead guilty to a non-criminal harassment infraction, erasing his criminal record and avoiding further punishment. He also completed six months of alcohol and behavioral rehabilitation.

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