The woman who accused Cuba Gooding Jr. of groping her has won her lawsuit against the actor after he didn’t respond for a year.
Natasha Ashworth filed a suit against Gooding in October 2019 alleging that he inappropriately touched her without consent when she served him at Tao Downtown Nightclub in New York. Page Six reports that she’s won a default judgment in the case, because Gooding failed to ever respond to her lawsuit. She requested a default judgment back in January, with Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Alexander Tisch siding with Ashworth on Wednesday.
According to those familiar with the case, Cuba Gooding Jr. did not hire a civil attorney in the lawsuit, and he has not filed any court papers. The default judgment victory for Ashworth is for the claims of assault and battery, but a default judgment on infliction of emotional distress claims was denied. Tisch has suggested that the case should go to trial in order to consider how much Ashworth will receive in the judgment. In response, Gooding’s criminal defense attorney said “the claim is baseless and the judgment is worthless.”
Ashworth was one of the first women to come forward with allegations against the Oscar winner, who has starred in everything from Boyz n the Hood to American Horror Story. As of 2021, a total of 30 women have made allegations against Gooding, and he is currently facing another civil lawsuit from a woman who accused him of raping her twice in a hotel room in 2013.
