Cuba Gooding Jr. plead guilty to a single forcible touching charge last year that stemmed from a series of unrequited kisses. However, he was set to face trial on Tuesday morning (June 6) for a rape accusation. The trial was expected to include testimonies from three women that he had allegedly abused between 2009 and 2019.
When jury selection in the Jane Doe trial began at 10 a.m. ET in New York City, neither the Oscar-winning actor or lawyer, Gloria Allred, were present. According to The New York Times, an entry on an electronic docket for the case read, “The parties have resolved the matter.”
This civil case was initially filed in 2020 in Federal District Court.
Though the details of the settlement remain sealed, the lawsuit described the alleged assault. It claims Gooding met the Jane Doe in the summer of 2013 at a restaurant/lounge in Greenwich Village. He later invited her for drinks at The Mercer Hotel in SoHo. The suit continued that he told her he needed to change clothes quickly and escorted her to his room on the fifth floor. While undressing, she attempted to leave, but Gooding allegedly thwarted her escape, pushed her onto the bed, touched her sexually, and penetrated her as she tried to get off the bed.
A lawyer who was representing Mr. Gooding at the time that the lawsuit was filed considered the allegations to be “completely false and defamatory.”
During the 2022 plea, the actor issued a statement regarding his actions. “I apologize for making anybody ever feel inappropriately touched,” he stated. “I am a celebrity figure. I come into contact with people. I never want them to feel slighted or uncomfortable in any way.” As a means to avert jail time, Gooding underwent “alcohol and behavior modification” counseling for six months.