Just prior to the start of the trial, Cuba Gooding Jr. settles a civil sexual assault complaint.

Cuba Gooding Jr. has resolved allegations that he raped a woman at a New York City hotel ten years ago, according to court papers, it was disclosed Tuesday, just before a trial was about to start. The actor and the woman met at a nearby restaurant, and the actor had argued through lawyers that their interaction was consensual.

Cuba Gooding Jr. settles a civil sexual assault complaint

The Oscar-winning “Jerry Maguire” actor was accused of meeting the lady in Manhattan, getting her to go with him to a hotel, and getting her to stop at his room so he could change clothes. The trial was set to begin with jury selection in New York federal court.

A calendar item in the official court record read: “Trial OFF,” minutes before jurors were scheduled to start showing up in a courtroom. The clause further stated: “Reason for cancellation (on consent): The parties have resolved the matter.”

Before this week, when Judge Paul A. Crotty decided that the lady would have to give her name at trial, the woman had been proceeding anonymously. According to her claim, Gooding sexually assaulted her in his bedroom. However, his solicitors argued that it was consenting intercourse and that she boasted to others about it later.

In the complaint, $6 million in losses were demanded. Gloria Allred, one of several lawyers who are representing the woman, chose not to comment. Requests for response from other solicitors, including those defending Cuba Gooding Jr, were not promptly fulfilled.

The claim was brought against a guy who, according to the authorities, has been accused of engaging in inappropriate behaviour, such as groping, unwanted kissing, and other acts, with more than 30 additional women.

By deciding to allow three women to testify that they too experienced sudden sexual assaults or attempted sexual assaults after meeting Cuba Gooding Jr in social settings like festivals, bars, nightclubs, and restaurants late last week, the judge appeared to strengthen the woman’s position at trial and in settlement talks.

Kelsey Harbert, who alleged that Cuba Gooding Jr fondled her without her permission at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge close to Times Square in 2019, was one of the women who had intended to testify at the trial.

Last year, Gooding avoided jail time and a criminal record by entering a guilty plea in a New York state court, and Harbert stated that Cuba Gooding Jr never having her day in court was “more disappointing than words can say.”

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People who claim to have experienced sexual assault are normally not identified by The Associated Press unless they give permission, as Harbert has done.

Cuba Gooding Jr was allowed to withdraw his guilty plea and plead guilty to a non-criminal harassment offence, erasing his criminal record and avoiding further punishments. He also completed six months of alcohol and behavioural counselling.