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Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. has reached a settlement over accusations that he raped a woman a New York hotel, according to court records reported by the Associated Press on Tuesday, averting a trial that was to begin the same day.
The Oscar-winning “Jerry Maguire” actor had been sued for $6 million in damages by a woman who says he persuaded her to stop at his Manhattan hotel room in 2013 so he could get changed for a social outing, then pushed her to the bed and raped her.
Gooding’s lawyers claim that the sex was consensual and that the woman had bragged about having sex with a celebrity, the AP reported.
The settlement came just before a trial was set to begin in a New York federal court. Jury selection was slated to start Tuesday morning, but a calendar update for the courtroom revealed the trial was canceled because “the parties have resolved the matter,” per the AP.
Attorney Gloria Allred, one of the lawyers representing the accuser, identified only as Jane Doe in the lawsuit, declined to comment. Gooding’s lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The woman had been pursuing the case anonymously, but last week Judge Paul Crotty ruled that she would need to reveal her name at the trial, according to the AP. The judge also said that he would allow three women to testify that they faced “sudden” or attempted sexual assaults after meeting Gooding, who has faced similar accusations from dozens of women.
One of those women alleged Gooding touched her without consent at the New York’s Magic Hour Rooftop Bar and Lounge in 2019. The actor was arrested in June 2019 over the matter and pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge.
In April 2022, Gooding pleaded guilty to forcibly touching a woman at the Lavo nightclub in New York in 2018 where, he said, he “kissed the waitress on her lips” without her consent.
Six months later, Gooding avoided prison time after he complied with requirements that he have no new arrests and attend alcohol and behavior modification counseling. The actor was not given a criminal record and avoided up to a year in prison.
Source link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/06/06/cuba-gooding-jr-civil-case/