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
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.
[Via]