Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. has settled the civil rape case brought against him by an anonymous woman, avoiding trial.
The trial, supposed to start on Tuesday, June 6, is now “off the calendar,” according to the docket.
The renowned 55-year-old actor was sued in 2020 in Manhattan federal court by a woman who alleged that he sexually assaulted her on August 24, 2013.
Court documents indicate that nine individuals, including Gooding and his accuser, had been listed as potential witnesses. Gooding acknowledged their sexual relations and maintained that both parties engaged willingly. The woman said that she met the actor in the VIP section of a now-closed Greenwich Village lounge called Le Souk, New York where they conversed before he invited her for drinks at his hotel.
After taking a cab to the Soho hotel in New York City and consuming shots together, Gooding allegedly asked her to accompany him to his room under the pretense of changing clothes. According to the lawsuit, once inside the room, the actor began undressing in front of her.
The suit alleged that Gooding proceeded to grope her against her objections and raped her. To support the woman’s claims, at least three other people who have accused Gooding of sexual misconduct were expected to testify. Their testimony would have established the credibility of the woman’s allegations by highlighting the actor’s history of alleged sexual misconduct.
Manhattan federal Judge Paul Crotty had ordered the alleged victim to disclose her identity by noon on Monday, June 5 a requirement she failed to fulfill.
Judge Crotty expressed concerns that proceeding with the trial under the pseudonym Jane Doe would unfairly prejudice Gooding and potentially confuse the jury.
Gooding has faced allegations of sexual misconduct from approximately 30 women. Last year, he entered a no-jail plea deal on six counts of sexual abuse related to separate incidents where he was accused of groping three women in Manhattan.
