Cuba Gooding Jr.'s attorney claims that the rape accuser's encounter with the alleged victim was consensual and that the alleged victim "bragged" about the incident to witnesses.
Gary Becker, Gooding's attorney, informed US District Court Judge Paul A. Crotty that the defense would present three witnesses to testify on Gooding Jr.'s behalf. All of whom will testify that the alleged victim, identified as Jane Doe, had lied about wooing the Oscar-winner.
Casey Wolnowski, the alleged victim's attorney, has stated that he's aware of the defense's witnesses, but that he "vehemently rejects" the accuser's testimony about the incident. Ed Sapone, Becker's co-counsel, shared that Gooding Jr. is confident he'll prevail when all of the evidence is presented in court.
The rape accuser of Gooding Jr. filed a lawsuit against him in 2020, alleging that he sexually assaulted her in his hotel room in Manhattan. According to the victim, the couple went up to Gooding Jr.'s room, where he sexually assaulted her twice, despite being told "no" repeatedly.
In recent years, the celebrated thespian has been embroiled in sex assault charges, including being apprehended and booked in 2019 on suspicion of molesting a woman in a Times Square bar. In addition, prosecutors claim that by August 2020, more than 30 women had accused Gooding Jr. of touching them inappropriately.
"I apologize for making anyone feel unappropriately touched... I am a well-known figure. I am in contact with people. I never want them to be slighted or uncomfortable in any way," he said at the time of the plea.
After winning the lawsuit against Gooding Jr. in 2020, the victim, Natasha Ashworth, was paid $80,000 in damages. Gooding Jr. failed to respond to the complaint after nearly two years.
