Cuba Gooding Jr.'s Lawyer Claims Sex With His Accuser Was Consensual

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Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. Appears At Court Over Charges Of Sexual Assault And Rape
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 18: Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. arrives at Criminal Court to set a trial date on October 18, 2021 in New York City. Mr. Gooding Jr. is facing charges of sexual assault, rape, forcible touching and sex abuse in an alleged incident at a New York hotel in 2013. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)
Cuba Gooding Jr.'s legal team plans to argue that sex with his rape accuser was consensual.

Cuba Gooding Jr.'s lawyer, Gary Becker, says that his client had consensual sex with the woman who has accused him of raping her inside a New York City hotel room in 2013. Becker explained his plans for the trial to US District Court Judge Paul A. Crotty during a status conference in Manhattan federal court. He said that the defense will call two witnesses to trial who claim that the accuser returned to the bar where she met Gooding earlier in the same night and boasted about having consensual sex with him. Becker's co-counsel, Ed Sapone, stated afterward that they actually have three witnesses from the bar.

The accuser, identified as "Jane Doe," brought a lawsuit against Gooding in 2020, claiming that the actor raped her at Manhattan's Mercer hotel in 2013. They had met at a bar in Greenwich Village earlier in the night. She says that she repeatedly told Gooding "no" and that he also attacked her a second time before she could flee the room.

Cuba Gooding Jr. In Court

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 13: Cuba Gooding Jr. Arrives at NYS Supreme Court for sentencing on October 13, 2022 in New York City. The Oscar-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr., plead guilty to charges of forcible touching and sex abuse. The criminal charges Gooding plead guilty to were brought against him after a worker at a New York nightclub alleged he forcibly kissed her, while he also faced charges stemming from three other incidents in which he stood accused of forcible touching or abuse. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

A defense attorney for Jane Doe, Casey Wolnowski, says that he's "aware of these witnesses" but "vehemently denies their views on what transpired." He added that he's "confident the jury is going to give" his client's testimony "the weight it deserves."

A trial date for the case has not been set, but both parties discussed options on Monday. Judge Crotty confirmed he wants it done in 2023. "We're not putting the trial off for a year," he said, according to Insider. Crotty also complained about Gooding Jr's team bringing up issues with evidence prepared by the accuser. "The time for discovery is over. Let's get on with the trial," the judge said.

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About The Author
Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.
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