Cuba Gooding Jr. has settled a Manhattan federal lawsuit accusing him of rape just as jury selection was set to begin Tuesday morning. The renowned 55-year-old actor, famous for his role in “Jerry Maguire,” was scheduled to face trial over allegations by a woman who claimed she was raped twice by him at the Mercer Hotel in Soho on Aug. 24, 2013.
The trial was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. in Manhattan federal court, but at 10:24 a.m., a note was filed in the case stating that “the parties have reached an agreement.” Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The plaintiff sought $6 million in damages. Gooding has not denied that there was a sexual encounter, but has maintained that it was consensual. Nine people, including Gooding and his accuser, had been identified as potential witnesses to testify at the trial, which was expected to last three to four days.
The accuser filed an anonymous lawsuit in 2020, but Manhattan District Judge Paul Crotty ordered her to reveal her identity on Monday, arguing it would be detrimental to Gooding if the jury only knew her as Jane Doe. However, the woman never refiled the complaint under her real name, indicating the possibility of an imminent settlement.
Last year, Gooding reached a plea deal without prison with Manhattan prosecutors in a sexual abuse case in which he was accused of improperly touching three women in separate incidents in New York City.
In the current case, the woman claims she met Gooding at Le Souk Lounge, where they struck up a conversation before Gooding invited her out for drinks at his hotel. Once there, photos were taken before Gooding invited her to his room so she could change clothes, she alleged.
In the room, Gooding played music and began undressing, while groping the woman’s breasts under his shirt despite her refusal, and then raping her both vaginally and anally, according to the indictment. Gooding has been accused of sexual misconduct by at least 30 women. The woman’s attorney, Gloria Allred, declined to comment on the terms of the settlement. Gooding’s lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.