Cuba Gooding Jr. spotted in Miami after being named in Diddy lawsuit
MIAMI — Cuba Gooding Jr. surfaced in the Miami area on Easter Sunday.
The actor, who is named as a co-defendant in Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones $30 million lawsuit against Sean Combs, was snapped by TMZ paps on a golf outing.
In the picture, Gooding appears to be at the Miami Beach Golf Club. The Oscar winner (for 1996’s “Jerry Maguire”) is riding on the back of a cart, his head down, checking his phone.
Insiders told Miami.com that Gooding was also seen in the 305 on March 20 at a launch party for a new swimsuit collection at Curio Faena Bazaar. Others attending included “Real Housewives of Miami” cast member Alexia Nepola and Kardashian BFF Brittny Gastineau.
Just five days after that fancy event, feds descended on Combs’ Star Island mansion as part of an investigation into sex trafficking. The rapper’s Los Angeles estate got the same treatment from Homeland Security Investigations agents.
The raids came roughly a month after Jones’ lawsuit, in which Gooding was not initially named. He was only mentioned as “a relevant actor who has fallen from grace due to several sexual assault lawsuits and a recent guilty plea for sexual assault.”
In April 2022, the “Snow Dogs” star pleaded guilty to one count of forcibly touching a woman at a New York City bar in 2018. The next year he settled a different lawsuit in which he was accused of raping her in a NYC hotel room in 2013.
In Jones’ amended complaint, filed in a New York federal district court, Gooding is not only named but pictured sitting next to the “Love Album” producer on a yacht rented by Diddy in the Virgin Islands early last year.
Lil Rod claims the 56-yearold father of two sexually harassed and assaulted him after being introduced by Combs.
“Cuba Gooding Jr. began touching, groping, and fondling Mr. Jones’ legs, his upper inner thighs near his groin, the small of his back near his buttocks and his shoulders,” say court documents. “Mr. Jones was extremely uncomfortable, and proceeded to lean away from Mr. Gooding Jr. ... He rejected his advances and Mr. Gooding Jr. did not stop until Mr. Jones forcibly pushed him away.”
The suit also claims that the embattled rap mogul was present while all this was happening, but did nothing: “Combs owned (through renting) the premises and had dominion and control over the premises where Mr. Jones was harmed. Mr. Combs had dominion and control over the actions of Cuba Gooding Jr and failed to step in and stop.”
Gooding, who is not active on social media, has yet to comment on the matter.