Cuba Gooding Jr. Settles Rape Case Minutes Before Trial

Cuba Gooding Jr.’s rape trial was called off Tuesday after he reached a settlement.

The Associated Press reports a calendar entry read “TRIAL OFF” and the reason listed as “the parties have resolved the matter.”

The news broke minutes before the trial was set to begin.

The AP reports Gooding Jr. was accused of raping a woman twice in an NYC hotel room in 2013. He denied the allegations, and insisted the encounter was consensual.

A judge ruled last week that the unnamed woman would be required to reveal her identity at trial.

According to Variety, the woman filed a civil lawsuit in 2020 seeking a jury trial. She was suing Cuba for an alleged “crime of violence” and seeking an unspecified amount of compensatory and punitive damages.

At the time, Gooding Jr.’s attorney told People in a statement, “The allegations against Cuba Gooding Jr. are false and perjurious. There was absolutely no conduct committed in a criminal nature as alleged.”

He continued, “We expect the case to be dismissed. It was an alleged incident that took place over seven years ago with no criminal complaint at the time.”

Cuba previously faced groping allegations. Last year, he pleaded guilty to one count of forcible touching. He did not face any jail time, after he complied with the terms of a plea agreement.

As part of the plea agreement, Gooding had to undergo “alcohol and behavior modification treatment” for the last six months with no new arrests.

Having followed all the terms, he was entitled to withdraw his misdemeanor plea and “replead to Harassment in the Second Degree, with a sentence of time served, and a permanent stay of sealing.”

According to Emily Tuttle, spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, Gooding Jr. pleaded guilty to a lesser harassment charge, which will remain on his record.