Cuba Gooding Jr accused of raping woman in New York hotel in 2013

Actor Cuba Gooding Jr is accused of raping a woman twice in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013, according to a lawsuit that escalates the severity of the growing number of claims against him.

The lawsuit, dated yesterday but filed publicly today in Manhattan federal court, alleged that the Oscar-winning “Jerry Maguire” actor attacked the woman, identified in court papers as “Jane Doe" to protect her privacy, after she met him at a Greenwich Village VIP lounge.

Attorney Mark Heller, who represent the 52-year-old actor, said the “alleged event never took place."

Gooding already faces misdemeanor criminal charges of sexual abuse and forcible touching related to claims women have previously made against him. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges.

Heller has called the state court allegations “incredulous” and assailed the prosecution as a waste of taxpayer dollars.

[Source: TVNZ / Associated Press]