Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. can’t keep his hands to himself as he’s pictured rubbing a woman’s shoulder at five star Miami hotel after being sued in the past for sexual assault
Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. can’t keep his hands to himself, as he showed again in a five-star hotel in Miami
The star of films like A Few Good Men and Boyz n the Hood was seen rubbing a woman’s bare shoulder as they sat at the bar
But this time, the actor — who was facing civil lawsuits and criminal charges of violent touching and sexual abuse — seemed to be on his best behavior.
The woman, one of four surrounding Gooding, 56, was seen smiling at him as he caressed her upper back.
Exclusive video obtained by Dailymail.com captures the star in a candid moment during a party Saturday night in the Sports illustrated Swimsuit modeling weekend at the luxurious W South Beach hotel.
Exclusive video obtained by Dailymail.com captures ‘Boyz n the Hood’ star Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. captured in a candid moment during a party Saturday night during the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Weekend at the luxurious W South Beach hotel
In one shot, the unknown woman is seen turning to Gooding and smiling
Sports Illustrated cover model at the same party Brooks Nader made a bold fashion choice and wore a revealing, sheer knit dress that left her bare.
The incident comes after a history of legal troubles for Gooding, who was once called a “serial payer.” They include allegations of sexual assault and even rape. He admitted to forcibly kissing a nightclub worker in New York.
He insists he has ‘changed 100%’ since his legal troubles.
“I’m ten times more aware of what’s going on around me and I just use that as my focus,” he told Piers Morgan in 2002.
Gooding narrowly avoided a civil rape trial in 2023 by reaching a last-minute settlement with a woman who accused him of assault in a New York City hotel ten years earlier.
The accuser alleged that Gooding raped her after meeting at a Manhattan restaurant and then inviting her to his hotel room.
Gooding, who won his Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Jerry Maguire in 1996, was accused of persuading her to join him at the Mercer Hotel in Soho, where he said he would stop at his room to change clothes .
She said in her lawsuit seeking $6 million that Gooding then raped her anally and vaginally. The meeting took place in 2013.
The woman had operated anonymously until Judge Paul A. Crotty ruled that she must reveal her name during the trial.
His defense team alleged that the woman bragged to others about having intimate relationships with a celebrity. That evidence was never made public.
At the same party, Sports Illustrated cover model Brooks Nader made a bold fashion choice in a black dress that fell dangerously low as she partied with a friend in red mesh
The lawsuit was set to proceed in federal court but was halted just minutes later with the announcement of the settlement, the terms of which have not yet been made public.
The prosecutor said she met Gooding at the Le Souk lounge, where they chatted and eventually went back to his hotel room. Once in his hotel room, the woman said Gooding took off his clothes, turned on music and then began fondling her.
She says she told him “no,” but Gooding kept touching her and eventually raped her.
Gooding is accused of it committing sexual misconduct against more than thirty other women, including groping, unwanted kissing and other inappropriate behavior.
The judge had said he would allow three women to testify who were also victims of sudden assaults or attempted assaults after meeting Gooding in social settings such as festivals, bars, nightclubs and restaurants.
The footage shows the 56-year-old actor sitting at a bar, surrounded by four women, while his hand rests on and squeezes one woman’s bare shoulder.
The incident comes after Gooding’s history of legal troubles, including past allegations of sexual assault and multiple rape allegations. He admitted to forcibly kissing a nightclub worker in New York
One of the women who did plans to testify at trial was Kelsey Harbert, who told police Gooding fondled her without her consent at the Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge near Times Square in 2019.
Gooding’s legal troubles extended beyond the civil case, as he did pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of forcible touching in April 2022, following allegations of misconduct at several Manhattan nightspots in 2018 and 2019.
He admitted to forcibly kissing an employee at a New York nightclub in 2018.
After Gooding pleaded guilty in New York state court to a charge that spared him from jail or a criminal record, Harbert said getting her day in court has never been “more disappointing than words can say.”
By staying out of trouble and completing six months alcohol and behavioral therapy, Gooding was allowed to withdraw his guilty plea and plead guilty to a misdemeanor count of non-criminal harassment, expunging his record and preventing further punishment.
Cuba Gooding Jr. pictured in court in January 2020
The Mercer Hotel in New York City, where the woman said the rape occurred
Kelsey Harbert with her attorney Gloria Allred in October. She said he escaped justice
In an interview in November 2022 on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Gooding insisted he had ‘changed 100%’ after the allegations.
“I don’t want this to stop me from connecting with my fans,” he told Morgan.
“But it’s one of those moments where I look back and say, ‘How did you get into this scenario, into this situation?’
“It’s like I said in court: I don’t want anyone to feel like they were treated inappropriately or harassed by me in any way. I love my fans. I love men and women, all my fans.
‘The world knows, I have pleaded guilty to forcible touching and kissed a waitress. So that’s that, I’m not here to shame anyone, or to, you know, take on any of these women who have spoken out.
“You don’t want to let down those who supported you and got you where you are today, and my family and my friends, who are responsible for the success I have today.
“You feel a sense of guilt and you get through it and you work on ways to improve yourself.”
