Cuba Gooding Jr. finds himself embroiled in a sexual assault lawsuit filed by Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones Jr., who has also taken legal action against Sean “Diddy” Combs since February. Jones, a former employee of Combs, aged 54, lodged a civil complaint in a New York federal court last month, accusing Combs of sexual harassment, drugging, and threatening him over a span of more than a year.
Initially, Gooding, 56, was not listed as a defendant in the lawsuit, but an amended version filed on Monday now includes him. According to the lawsuit, while aboard a yacht in the U.S. Virgin Islands chartered by Combs in January 2023, the Oscar-winning actor allegedly began to inappropriately touch Jones, including his legs, upper inner thighs near his groin, the small of his back near his buttocks, and his shoulders.
The lawsuit further alleges that Combs introduced Jones to Gooding as part of an attempt to “groom” him for his friends, suggesting that Gooding should “get to know” Jones better. The complaint describes Jones as “extremely uncomfortable” with the situation, leading him to “reject his advances.” However, it claims Gooding persisted until Jones forcefully pushed him away.
Gooding’s attorney has yet to respond to requests for comment regarding these allegations.
Additionally, the lawsuit has been updated to name Combs’ adult son Justin, his chief of staff Kristina Khorram, and Universal Music Group CEO Sir Lucian Grainge as defendants.
In response to the initial lawsuit filed in February, Combs’ lawyer, Shawn Holley, issued a statement dismissing Jones as a liar seeking a “shamelessly… undeserved payday” through a $30 million lawsuit. Holley criticized Jones for his “reckless name-dropping” and “pure fiction” allegations, promising to reveal “overwhelming, indisputable proof” of the claims’ falsehoods in court.
This week, federal agents raided two of Combs’s properties as part of an ongoing investigation, a Homeland Security Investigations representative informed PEOPLE.
Gooding has faced other separate sexual assault allegations in the past. In April 2022, he pleaded guilty to one count of forcibly touching a woman at a New York City rooftop bar in 2018. Moreover, in June 2023, Gooding settled a 2020 lawsuit in which he was accused of raping a woman twice in 2013.
For those affected by sexual assault, support is available through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or by visiting rainn.org.