Citing court documents filed on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that Gooding allegedly invited Jane Doe up to his hotel room in the New York City, New York, borough of Manhattan after the two met at a Greenwich Village VIP lounge.
The filing claims that Gooding told the woman that he just wanted to change his clothes, but actually proceeded to vaginally and anally rape her after turning on music. She told Gooding “‘no’ numerous times but he wouldn’t stop,” according to the court document.
The woman claims the incident has left her with “emotional pain, suffering, and a loss of enjoyment of life.” She is now pursuing a jury trial, as well as compensatory and punitive damages.
Mark Jay Heller, Gooding’s attorney, denies the accusations laid out in the filing.
“The allegations are false. It’s an event that took place seven years ago. No complaint was ever lodged. We believe the allegations and the complaint will be dismissed,” he told Reuters.
The attorney also argued that the unidentified woman is “probably just somebody who’s looking for some glory to bask in the publicity and notoriety of Cuba Gooding Jr.’s case,” reported the AP.
The actor, known for his performances in films such as “Jerry Maguire,” and “Boyz N the Hood,” recently appeared in a Manhattan court and pleaded not guilty to six misdemeanor charges of sexual abuse and forcible touching.
According to the AP, over two dozen women have made various claims against Gooding since allegations first arose. TMZ reported that at least 22 women have accused him of sexual misconduct.
Despite the case and allegations being against the actor, Heller and Peter Toumbekis - Gooding’s other lawyer - also made headlines after appearing to argue in a court filing that one woman who accused Gooding of groping her could be “predisposed to make a false accusation against someone.”
In a Friday court filing viewed by Page Six, Heller cited blog posts made by the woman in which she claimed that her “brain was one big fat mess.” The attorneys went on to highlight one blog entry about her breasts.
“And, in a world of extensions and fake boobs, my short haircut paired with my moderate breast size makes me feel invisible,” the anonymous woman wrote, according to the filing. “Some people are scared of others and want nothing more to be invisible. I am not that type of person. I am starving to be seen.”
Toumbekis was met with pushback by Judge Curtis Farber, who said that it was “simply offensive” for him to plan on asking the witness about “how she feels about the size of her breasts” during the trial - which remains unscheduled, according to Vulture.
“Tell me the connection between the size of her breasts and the relevance at trial,” Farber asked.
“She actually talks about the fact that she’s self-conscious about her breast size,” Toumbekis said, claiming his questions would reveal whether she “sometimes misconstrues what other people are saying to her because of her own self-esteem issues.”
Farber ultimately barred the line of questioning.
