Cuba Gooding Jr has been sued by two women who allege that the actor sexually assaulted him in New York bars. Jasmine Abbay accused Gooding Jr of "forcibly kissing her without consent" when she was working as a cocktail waitress in midtown Manhattan in September 2018. Meanwhile, Kelsey Herbert claimed Gooding Jr "groped her breast" at a different Midtown bar in June 2019. “Our clients were deprived of the justice they sought in the criminal case. They are now seeking justice and accountability in their civil cases", said the plaintiffs' lawyer, Gloria Allred. Allred has risen to prominence in recent years, representing clients in cases against Bill Cosby and Donald Trump.
The two women are seeking unspecified damages under the Adult Survivors Act. The act is a state law that lets women sue their alleged abusers beyond the initial statute of limitations for the crimes in question. However, the law is set to expire tomorrow. Other high-profile cases under this law include the recent suits against Axl Rose, Russell Brand, and Diddy. Gooding Jr previously pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge in Abbay's case. However, the charge was later downgraded from "forcible touching" to simple harassment. Furthermore, in June of this year, Gooding Jr settled a lawsuit brought forward by an alleged 2013 rape victim.
Read More: Bill Cosby's First Accuser Files New Lawsuit
Josh Giddey Hit With Allegations Of Sex With A Minor
However, Gooding Jr isn't the only public figure in legal trouble this week. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey has been accused of having a sexual relationship with a minor. The allegations first emerged on social media, with users appearing to post evidence of Giddey interacting with a reportedly then-17-year-old Olivia Cook. One of the widely-cited pieces of alleged evidence was a Snapchat post showing Giddey and Cook in a post-coital state of undress with the in-picture text caption "Just f-cked Josh Giddey". Furthermore, social media users later uncovered more posts that appeared to corroborate the story. Additionally, they found Cooks' alleged TikTok account, which appeared to confirm that she was not 18.
However, the allegations are largely unverified and stem primarily from second-hand reporting of social media posts. Neither Giddey nor Cook have released a statement at this time. Giddey, a first-round pick in 2021 and widely considered the future of Australian basketball, played against the Bulls in a game on Wednesday night. He had 10 points and 6 rebounds in the Thunder win. This is a developing story and we will have any updates as and when they emerge.
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