Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. can’t keep his hands to himself as he demonstrated once again in a five-star hotel in Miami
The star of films such as A Few Good Men and Boys in the Neighborhood was seen rubbing a woman’s bare shoulder while they sat at the bar.
But this time the actor, who has faced civil lawsuits and criminal charges for forcible touching and sexual abuse, seemed 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 on Saturday night at the Sports Illustrated Weekend of swimsuit models at the luxurious W South Beach hotel.
Exclusive video obtained by Dailymail.com captures ‘Boyz n the Hood’ star Cuba Gooding Jr. in a candid moment during a party Saturday night at Sports Swimsuit Model Weekend Illustrated at the luxurious W South Beach hotel.
In one shot, the unidentified woman is seen turning toward Gooding and smiling.
At the same party, Sports Illustrated cover model Brooks Nader made a daring fashion choice, wearing a revealing sheer knit dress that left her behind on display.
The incident comes after a history of legal problems for Gooding, who was once dubbed a “serial groper.” They include accusations of sexual assault and even rape. He admitted to forcibly kissing a nightclub worker in New York.
He insists he has “100% changed” 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 at a New York City hotel a decade earlier.
The accuser alleged that Gooding raped her after meeting her at a Manhattan restaurant and subsequently inviting her to his hotel room.
Gooding, who won his Oscar for best supporting actor in 1996 for Jerry Maguire, was accused of persuading her to meet him at the Mercer Hotel in Soho, where he said he would stop by her room so he could change clothes.
She said in her lawsuit seeking $6 million that Gooding then raped her anally and vaginally. The meeting occurred in 2013.
The woman had proceeded anonymously until Judge Paul A. Crotty ruled that she would have to reveal her name at trial.
Your defense team He claimed that the woman bragged to others about having had intimate relations with a celebrity. That evidence was never made public.
At the same party, Sports Illustrated cover model Brooks Nader made a daring fashion choice in a dangerously plunging black dress while partying with a friend in red mesh.
The trial was scheduled to continue in federal court, but was halted just minutes later with the announcement of the settlement, the terms of which remain undisclosed.
The accuser said she met Gooding at the Le Souk lounge, where they chatted and eventually returned to her hotel room. Once in her hotel room, the woman said Gooding took off his clothes, played music and then began fondling her.
She says she told him “no,” but Gooding continued to touch her and eventually raped her.
Gooding has been accused of committing sexual misconduct against more than 30 women, including unwanted touching, kissing and other inappropriate behavior.
The judge had said he would allow three women who were also subjected to sudden sexual assault or attempted sexual assault after meeting Gooding in social settings such as festivals, bars, nightclubs and restaurants to testify.
The images show the 56-year-old actor sitting in a bar, surrounded by four women, with his hand resting on and squeezing the bare shoulder of one of them.
The incident comes after Gooding’s history of legal troubles, including past allegations of sexual assault and multiple accusations of rape. He admitted to forcibly kissing a nightclub worker in New York
One of the women who had planned to testify at trial was Kelsey Harbert, who told police that Gooding fondled her without her consent at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge near Times Square in 2019.
Gooding’s legal troubles extended beyond the civil case, as he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor forcible touching in April 2022, stemming from allegations of misconduct at several Manhattan nightspots in 2018 and 2019.
He admitted forcibly kissing a worker at a New York nightclub in 2018.
After Gooding pleaded guilty in New York state court to a charge that spared him jail time or a criminal record, Harbert said never making it to court was “more disappointing than words can express.” .
By staying out of trouble and completing six months of behavioral and alcohol counseling, Gooding was allowed to withdraw his guilty plea and plead guilty to a non-criminal harassment violation, expunging his criminal record and avoiding further penalties.
Cuba Gooding Jr. photographed in court in January 2020
The Mercer Hotel in New York where the woman said the rape occurred
Kelsey Harbert with her attorney Gloria Allred in October. She said she escaped justice.
In a November 2022 interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Gooding insisted he was “100% changed” following 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 find yourself in this scenario, in this situation?’
‘It’s like I said in court: I don’t want anyone to feel like I’ve treated them inappropriately or harassed them in any way. I love my followers. I love men and women, all my fans.
The world knows: I pleaded guilty to forcible touching and kissed a waitress. So that’s it, I’m not here to shame anyone or, you know, to confront any of these women who have made their statements.
‘You don’t want to disappoint those who supported you and got you to where you are, nor my family, my friends, who are responsible for the success I have today.
“You feel guilty, you get over it and you work on ways to improve.”