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Cuba Gooding Jr. has reportedly settled a lawsuit from a woman who accused him of raping her a decade ago, just before the trial was set to begin.
The news was announced on Tuesday before jury selection began in New York federal court, according to the Associated Press.
However, the trial was called off due to both parties resolving the matter minutes ahead of jurors assembling in the courtroom.
The lawsuit sought $6 million in damages, but it remains unclear exactly how much the parties settled for.
The outlet reports that the alleged victim would have had to reveal her name at trial had it proceeded. She claims Gooding Jr. raped her in a New York City hotel room.
Meanwhile, the 55-year-old Oscar-winning actor has maintained the encounter was consensual. His attorneys even added that she bragged about having sex with a celebrity afterward.
But authorities say over 30 other women have accused the “Jerry Maguire” star of sexual misconduct. Gooding Jr. has allegedly groped and forcibly kissed other victims, amongst other inappropriate behavior.
In Oct. 2022, he was given a sweetheart plea deal and spared any time behind bars for another Manhattan sex abuse case.
He even had his criminal record wiped clean after completing the terms of the plea deal, The Shade Room reported at the time.
Gooding’s six forcible touching charges were downgraded to second-degree harassment. Then removed from his record after he completed six months of alcohol abuse treatment and behavior modification therapy.
The actor was accused of kissing a woman against her will at a nightclub in 2018. He was similarly accused of groping two other women at NYC hotspots in 2019.
Had this most recent case gone to trial, Gooding would have likely faced an uphill legal battle, the AP reports. Last week, the judge ruled he would allow three women to testify about their alleged sexual assaults or attempted assaults at the hands of Gooding.
