Cuba Gooding Jr. avoids civil rape trial and SETTLES lawsuit filed by woman who claims she was raped twice a decade ago by Jerry Maguire star at NYC hotel
- The civilian rape trial of Cuba Gooding Jr. was due to begin this week in New York City
- Shortly before jury selection was due to begin, it was announced that Gooding had settled with the woman who claims he raped her.
- Last year, Gooding entered into a plea deal with another woman who says the actor groped and fondled her
Cuba Gooding Jr. has avoided a civil rape trial due to begin today, according to court documents, after reaching a last-minute legal settlement with the woman who alleged the Oscar winner assaulted her at a New York City hotel a decade ago.
The Jerry Maguire star faced allegations that he met the woman at a Manhattan restaurant, persuaded her to join him at the Mercer Hotel in Manhattan’s Soho neighborhood and stop by his room so he could feel comfortable. could dress.
She said in her lawsuit that Gooding then anally and vaginally raped her.
The trial was set to begin Tuesday with jury selection in New York federal court. The woman had remained anonymous until last week, when Judge Paul A. Crotty ruled that she must reveal her name at trial.
The actor had insisted through lawyers that his meeting with the woman was voluntary after the two met at a nearby restaurant – and then she bragged to others that she had sex with a celebrity.
The trial was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday, at 10:24 a.m. it was announced in legal documents that “the parties have resolved the matter.” The exact terms of the settlement have not been made public.
Cuba Gooding Jr. pictured in court in January 2020
The Mercer Hotel in New York City where the woman said the rape took place
The woman claimed that Gooding took her to his hotel room on the pretext that he needed to change
The lawsuit sought $6 million in damages. Attorney Gloria Allred, one of the woman’s many representatives, declined to comment.
The lawsuit has been brought against a man who authorities say has been accused of sexual misconduct against more than 30 other women, including groping, unwanted kissing and other inappropriate behavior.
Late last week, the judge appeared to be strengthening the woman’s hand at trial and in settlement negotiations by ruling that he would allow three women to testify that they were also victims of sudden assault or attempted assault after meeting Gooding in social settings such as festivals, bars, nightclubs and restaurants.
One of the women who planned to testify at the trial was Kelsey Harbert, who told police that in 2019 Gooding fondled her without her consent at the Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge near Times Square.
A total of nine people, including Gooding and Herbert, would testify at the trial.
Harbert said last year, after Gooding pleaded guilty in New York state court to a charge that spared him from jail or a criminal record, never getting her day in court was “more disappointing than words can say.”
Gooding, a star in films such as Boyz n the Hood and Radio, pleaded guilty to a felony in April 2022, admitting to forcibly kissing a worker at a New York nightclub in 2018.
By staying out of trouble and completing six months of alcohol and behavior therapy, Gooding was allowed to withdraw his guilty plea and plead guilty to a non-criminal offense of harassment, expunging his criminal record and avoiding further punishment.
Cuba Gooding Jr. pictured with rapper French Montana in New York City on May 19