Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. has been found liable in a civil lawsuit filed against him by one of his alleged sexual assault victims.
On Thursday, Manhattan U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty ruled in favor of a default judgment to the plaintiff known only as Jane Doe. Crotty stated that Gooding “completely failed to engage with this case,” which led to the default ruling. Doe requested $6 million in damages in her suit. Gooding has until September 7th to address the case if he would like to argue for lesser compensation to the victim.
The lawsuit against Gooding was initially filed in August 2020. After being dismissed, it was reopened in March 2021. The victim alleges that she was raped two times in 2013 inside of a Manhattan hotel room after meeting the actor at a Greenwich Village restaurant and lounge. She says the “Radio” star invited her and a friend to join him for drinks at the nearby Mercer hotel. At some point in the evening, Doe was lured to the room, where Gooding pushed her onto the bed and raped her without any protection. Doe stated that she told Gooding “no” several times.
In addition to his lawsuit, the 53-year-old also faces his criminal case, which is also being tried in New York. He is accused of groping and squeezing three women on separate occasions at three different Manhattan locations in 2018 and 2019. Gooding has pleaded not guilty in that case.
