Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. may owe millions of dollars in damages after not responding to a lawsuit that accused him of raping a woman in New York City in 2013.
According to U.S. Today, U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty issued a default judgment against Gooding on Thursday, saying it seems he’s purposely ignoring the lawsuit and that it is unfair to have the accuser wait any longer.
According to Crotty, Gooding’s non-response in the lawsuit constituted an admission of liability.
The Boyz In The Hood was given one final deadline of September 7, to defend himself in the case.
After that, the judge will decide on damages.
Gooding’s accuser, identified in court papers as Jane Doe, alleged Gooding raped her without protection after meeting the actor at Greenwich Village VIP lounge. He allegedly coerced her into going to his hotel room under false pretenses.
She stated, “(Gooding) blocked her from the door and pushed her onto the bed,” where he raped her without using a condom, and while pinning her arms to the bed, the suit says.
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Mark Heller, the attorney representing Gooding in the criminal case, said that what the accuser is alleging “never took place” and suggested the plaintiff was a person “looking for some glory to bask in the publicity and notoriety of Cuba Gooding Jr.’s case.”
Heller continued, “I’m confident the case will be dismissed. It’s been seven years, and suddenly she comes forward out of the blue?”
On April 22, Gooding was served with court papers yet failed to respond to his first hearing on May 13.
In the suit, he’s being tried New York’s state court for violating three different women at three other Manhattan nightclubs in 2018 and 2019.
One of the women he’s been accused of violating alleged Gooding pinched her buttocks, and another said he squeezed her breast.
Jane Doe is seeking $6 million in damages, and a hearing is scheduled to set a court date for October 18.
