The trial was originally scheduled to begin on June 6 with jury selection. Cuba Gooding Jr. (55) will not have to answer in court after all. As several US media report unanimously, the actor has reached an out-of-court settlement with the plaintiff. Exact details about the agreement are not known at this time.
Just as the trial was about to begin, it became public on Tuesday that the two parties had reached an agreement. It had been announced that the trial had been “taken off the calendar”, as reported by the industry magazine “The Hollywood Reporter” and the broadcaster “CNN”.
A woman accused Gooding Jr. of raping her in 2013. He allegedly lured her into his hotel room and forced her to have sex there. However, according to the Oscar winner’s lawyers, the sex was consensual. The lawsuit would have sought $6 million in damages.
According to a judge’s decision last week, the woman, who wished to remain anonymous, should have revealed her identity at the trial. An insider is said to have told CNN that both legal teams have been working on the agreement all weekend. So far, however, lawyers for both parties have not commented on the case.
These were not the first allegations against the actor. In early 2022, Cuba Gooding Jr. pleaded guilty to kissing a nightclub waitress without her consent. He also admitted to having groped women in two other cases. About six months later, it was announced that the case had been filed. The actor completed alcohol and behavioral therapy and has been unremarkable since then.
Gooding Jr. became known in the 90s, among other things with films like “Boyz n the Hood” or “Jerry Maguire: Game of Life”, for which he was awarded the Oscar for best supporting actor.
