Cuba Gooding Jr. Settles Civil Lawsuit, Avoids Going to Trial for Rape Allegation
June 6 2023, Published 4:30 p.m. ET
Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. avoided civil trial for his rape allegation by settling before jury selection began, RadarOnline.com has learned. The Jerry Maguire star settled with "Jane Doe" following her lawsuit filed in August 2020.
The settlement came in the eleventh hour as jury selection was slated to begin at a New York City federal courthouse on Tuesday.
The trial was over before it began — and a spokesperson for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York provided minimal details on the settlement agreement.
"There will be no trial in the above matter," the spokesperson said without elaborating further. Doe originally sought $6 million in damages — with the amount being upheld by the judge in July 2021.
The ruling was made on the basis that Cuba had "completely fail[ed] to engage" with the case. However, that judgment was set aside, with Doe's support, in September 2021.
While little is known about the settlement at this time, details of Jane Doe's complaint are available. According to the 2020 court filing, Jane Doe's accusation centered on a 2013 incident in New York City's Greenwich Village.
Doe alleged that she and a friend met Cuba at a restaurant. From there, the group went to a nearby hotel lounge.
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Doe claimed that at the hotel, Cuba convinced her to follow him to his hotel room while he changed clothes. While Cuba's attorneys dismissed the sexual assault allegation as a consensual encounter, Doe's complaint alleged the opposite.
Once inside Cuba's hotel room, Doe claimed the actor barricaded the door, trapping her inside. Doe accused Cuba of forcing her onto the bed, where she claimed he raped her twice.
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Doe's complaint was not the only instance of Cuba being accused of inappropriate sexual behavior.
In October 2022, Cuba avoided prison with a plea deal. The actor pled guilty to a lesser harassment charge in his forcible touching case regarding a 2018 complaint.
Under the plea deal, Cuba avoided jail time but was ordered to attend six months of alcohol and behavioral counseling, in addition to no future brushes with the law.
