Cuba Gooding Jr's Assault Accusers Struggle to Serve Jet-Setting Actor With Legal Papers, Reveal Unsuccessful Attempt at Movie Screening
Mar. 21 2024, Published 9:00 a.m. ET
The two women suing Cuba Gooding Jr. for alleged sexual assault are struggling to track the entertainer down to serve him with their lawsuit.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, Kelsey Harbert and Jasmine Abbay requested additional time to find Gooding.
In her lawsuit, Abbay accused Gooding of a 2018 sexual assault inside the New York nightclub Lavo. The accuser said she worked as a cocktail waitress on the night in question.
Abbay said she was assigned to Gooding’s table. She claimed the actor kissed her without consent and “forced his tongue in her mouth.” She said she suffered “psychological trauma, emotional distress, mental anguish, embarrassment and humiliation” as a result of Gooding’s behavior.
Prosecutors charged Gooding over the incident. The entertainer pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge in 2022. He avoided any jail time despite allegations from over 30 women.
In her lawsuit, Harbert claimed she met Gooding at the Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge in June 2019. The accuser claimed the actor placed his hand on her thigh and touched her left breast without permission.
Harbert filed a police report against the actor. In her lawsuit, she claimed she was “sexually assaulted and battered” by Gooding. She demanded unspecified damages.
The two accusers have yet to serve Gooding.
In their recent motion, they asked for 120 days to complete service.
Harbert explained she hired a process server to try and serve Gooding at his New York home — but was told he no longer lived there. In December 2023, she said she learned that Gooding was in Miami, Florida ‘and it appeared he was staying at one of various hotels there.”
However, she said the hotels declined to provide any information on Gooding. “Around the end of 2023/ early 2024, it appeared as though Defendant was on a private yacht in the Caribbean which traveled in or around the Bahamas as well as Jamaica,” the motion read. “Upon return to the United States of America, Gooding, Jr. made his way to California and seemed to be staying at one of two possible addresses. However, despite best efforts, it could not be concluded by the process server hired by Plaintiff that Defendant was actually staying there for purposes of attempting service.”
Harbert said she tried to serve Gooding at a screening of an upcoming film at Warner Bros. Studios in which “he is starring, named The Firing Squad.”
“And while Gooding, Jr. himself was present for the screening that evening, the process server, who had also attended, was unable to get past security in order to effectuate service of process,” the motion read.
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Harbert’s process server tried to serve Gooding at a film set in Tennessee on March 11, 2024, but was unsuccessful. Abbay said she was facing the same issues serving Gooding.
A judge has yet to rule on their motion.