Cuba Gooding Jr settles rape lawsuit ahead of civil trial

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Actor Cuba Gooding Jr has settled a lawsuit with an unnamed woman who accused him of raping her in a New York City hotel room in 2013.

The settlement came as jury selection was about to begin in a federal civil trial that was expected to include damaging testimony against him.

The Academy Award winner, 55, has insisted his interactions with the woman were consensual.

He has been accused of groping and unwanted touching by dozens of women.

Last year, Mr Gooding pleaded guilty to kissing a woman without her consent.

That case saw charges relating to three other accusers dismissed as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.

But the testimony of those three women, who he allegedly abused between 2009 and 2019, was due to be heard in this civil case in Manhattan.

The lawsuit was filed in 2020 on behalf of a woman identified only as Jane Doe. The plaintiff sought $6m (£4.8m) in damages.

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