Cuba Gooding Jr. Confronts Fresh S*xual Ass@ult Legal Challenges

 

On November 22, two women, Jasmine Abbay and Kelsey Harbert, filed a lawsuit against Hollywood actor Cuba Gooding Jr, reopening the legal battle related to sexual assault cases that had earlier led to a criminal prosecution resulting in Gooding pleading guilty without serving jail time.

The complaint, lodged in a New York state court in Manhattan, details Abbay's allegation that the Oscar-winning actor forcibly kissed her without consent in September 2018, while she was employed as a cocktail waitress at the LAVO nightclub in midtown Manhattan. Harbert, the second plaintiff, accused Gooding of groping her breast in June 2019 at the Magic Hour rooftop bar, also located in midtown.

Gloria Allred, the attorney representing the plaintiffs, expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome of the criminal case, stating, "Our clients were deprived of the justice they sought in the criminal case. They are now seeking justice and accountability in their civil cases."

Abbay and Harbert are pursuing unspecified damages for assault and battery under the Adult Survivors Act, a unique New York state law that permits individuals to sue their alleged abusers, even if statutes of limitations have expired.

The law is set to expire after the U.S. Thanksgiving Day holiday and has been used against various public figures, including actors Russell Brand and Bill Cosby, former movie producer Harvey Weinstein, former president Donald Trump, and hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, whose case settled after one day.

Cuba Gooding Jr, who secured an Academy Award in 1997 for best supporting actor in "Jerry Maguire," initially pleaded guilty in April 2022 to a misdemeanor charge of forcibly touching Abbay. The charge was later downgraded to harassment, to which Gooding pleaded guilty. The plea agreement mandated alcohol and behavior modification treatment, along with a commitment to avoiding further arrests.

The accusations by Abbay, Harbert, and a third woman formed the basis of a six-count indictment against Gooding, which was resolved through his guilty plea. Harbert had previously expressed frustration at being unable to hold Gooding accountable in court for the "irreparable damage" he allegedly caused.

In June, Gooding settled a civil lawsuit in Manhattan federal court, just before trial, brought by a woman accusing him of a 2013 rape. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed, and the woman had initially sought $6 million in damages.