US District Judge Paul Crotty, on Thursday, found Gooding liable in a civil lawsuit filed by a woman who accused the 53-year-old of forcibly raping her twice at a hotel in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, back in 2013.
"Defendant’s failure to appear in this case or answer the complaint after being properly served indicates that his default was willful," Crotty wrote in the court filing.
The decision means that Gooding may be on the line for compensatory and punitive damages. While attorneys for the victim are seeking $6 million, a decision for damages was not made on Thursday.
The lawsuit, first filed back in August 2020, was dismissed on March 1 for failure to prosecute, but was reopened on March 16. Despite being served on April 22, Gooding did not respond by the May 13 deadline.
According to the initial filing nearly a year ago, Gooding met the woman at a Greenwich Village VIP lounge.
"Jane Doe," the unnamed victim, detailed that Gooding told her 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.
Jane Doe claims she dealt with "emotional pain, suffering, and a loss of enjoyment of life" since the incident.
At the time, Mark Jay Heller, Gooding's attorney, denied that series of events laid out in the court filing and declared the "alleged event never took place."
"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 said to Reuters.
However, it appears that Gooding paid little attention to the case since.
The actor, who was recently seen singing karaoke in The Hamptons, is set to appear in court on October 18 for charges related to allegations that he allegedly groped three different women in 2018.
Gooding has pleaded not guilty in the upcoming case.