On November 22, Hollywood actor Cuba Gooding Jr. faced legal trouble as two women filed a lawsuit against him, alleging sexual assault incidents that were central to a criminal case resulting in his guilty plea without serving jail time. According to the complaint lodged in a New York state court, Jasmine Abbay claimed the Oscar-winning actor forcibly kissed her without consent in September 2018 while she worked as a cocktail waitress at the LAVO nightclub in midtown Manhattan. The second plaintiff, Kelsey Harbert, accused Gooding of groping her breast in June 2019 at the Magic Hour rooftop bar, also in midtown.
In response, Gloria Allred, the lawyer for the plaintiffs, expressed disappointment, 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 special New York state law enabling women to sue alleged abusers, even if statutes of limitations have expired. It's noteworthy that this law has a deadline that coincides with the U.S. Thanksgiving Day holiday.
Notable personalities previously sued under this law include Russell Brand, Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein, Donald Trump, and Sean "Diddy" Combs, with Combs' case settling after just one day. Gooding, known for winning an Academy Award in 1997 for best supporting actor in "Jerry Maguire," pleaded guilty in April 2022 to a misdemeanor charge of forcibly touching Abbay, who remained unnamed at the time but disclosed her identity in her lawsuit. The charge was later downgraded to harassment, to which Gooding pleaded guilty, fulfilling a plea agreement that mandated alcohol and behavior modification treatment and no further arrests.
The accusations by Abbay, Harbert, and a third woman formed the basis for a six-count indictment against Gooding, ultimately resolved by his guilty plea. Harbert expressed frustration at the time, unable to hold him accountable in court for the "irreparable damage" caused. In a separate incident 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 settlement terms were not disclosed, and the woman had sought $6 million.
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