Cuba Gooding Jr. Faces Lawsuit from Two Women Over Sexual Assault Allegations

Cuba Gooding Jr., the actor known for his role in “Jerry Maguire,” has been sued by two women for sexual assault. This legal action follows a criminal case in which he pleaded guilty but didn’t go to jail.

Jasmine Abbay, one of the plaintiffs, claims that Gooding forcibly kissed her without her consent in September 2018.  At the time, she was working as a cocktail waitress at LAVO nightclub in midtown Manhattan. The other woman, Kelsey Harbert, alleges that Gooding groped her breast in June 2019 at the Magic Hour rooftop bar, also in midtown Manhattan.

Gooding’s lawyers, who have represented him in previous cases related to these allegations, haven’t responded to these latest claims.

Gloria Allred, representing the plaintiffs, said that her clients didn’t get the justice they wanted in the criminal case and are now seeking it through these civil lawsuits.

Abbay and Harbert are filing under the Adult Survivors Act, a law in New York that allows women to sue for such incidents even if the usual time limits for taking legal action have passed. This law is set to expire soon after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday.