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Tag: Cuba Gooding Jr.

  • Atlanta’s Black Coffee Company opens second location at Morehouse College

    Atlanta’s Black Coffee Company opens second location at Morehouse College

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    The Black Coffee Company, an Atlanta-based coffee shop brand, has opened its second location on the campus of Morehouse College at 830 Westview Dr. SW. Photo by Laura Nwogu/The Atlanta Voice

    The Black Coffee Company, an Atlanta-based coffee shop brand, has opened its second location on the campus of Morehouse College at 830 Westview Dr. SW. Students, family, and friends attended the ribbon cutting Friday morning as music blasted and customers grabbed cups of specialty coffees with creative names that pay homage to Atlanta such as “Cash Money,” “Killer Mike,” and “The Dirty South.”

    For the owners Christopher Bolden, Jamin Butler, Branden Cole, Gino Jones, and Leonard Lightfoot, opening a coffee shop on Morehouse’s campus is a dream that began with the ending of the movie “Boyz n the Hood” when Cuba Gooding Jr. and Nia Long’s characters go to Morehouse and Spelman College respectively. Bolden shared that a majority of the owners are California natives and the movie was their first introduction to the HBCU, so when Morehouse reached out with the opportunity to open a new location on its campus, they couldn’t pass up the full-circle moment.  

    “The five of us graduated from Xavier University, so HBCUs are close to our heart,” Bolden said. “To be able to open it at the prestigious Morehouse College just fills our hearts.”

    Photo by Laura Nwogu/The Atlanta Voice

    The group of friends launched The Black Coffee Company brand in 2018 and their flagship coffee shop Black Coffee ATL opened at the end of 2021. Since its inception, entrepreneurship, financial freedom, community empowerment, and education have been its core values. With the opening of a Black Coffee ATL on the HBCU campus, they hope to advance those values and create a safe space for students where they can study, listen to music, and congregate, continuing to foster the community hubs that Black-owned coffee shops provide.

    “We’re only 2% represented in the coffee industry, so it was really important for us to capture the coffee business and the coffee industry, and then to be able to share it with the people that look like us. 

    “It’s just been amazing. We want to be a staple for the Morehouse campus. We want to employ the students here and then also allow expansion to other universities and colleges across the country.”

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    Laura Nwogu

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  • Axl Rose, Jamie Foxx, and Politicians Face Sexual Assault Allegations Ahead of NY’s Filing Deadline

    Axl Rose, Jamie Foxx, and Politicians Face Sexual Assault Allegations Ahead of NY’s Filing Deadline

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    Since 2022, thousands of survivors of sexual assault have used New York’s Adult Survivors Act to seek justice for attacks that the state’s statute of limitations would have previously prevented. But that act—which Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul signed in May 2022—allowed only a year for the new civil suits to be filed. A last-minute surge of lawsuits, many against high-profile actors, musicians, and politicians, was filed just before the Thursday, November 24 deadline. 

    Some suits involved names already familiar to people who follow misconduct allegations. One example is a lawsuit filed against Bill Cosby Tuesday by a stand-in on The Cosby Show who says the comedian drugged and raped her in the 1980s. Cosby, who’s been accused of sexual assault by over 60 women, was convicted for one such alleged attack in 2018, a conviction overturned in 2021 due to a dispute over an agreement with a prosecutor. 

    The alleged victim in the case filed this week has not been named; via email, Cosby spokesperson  Andrew Wyatt suggested that the Adult Survivors Act was being abused, telling the Associated Press, “When will it stop and who will be the next man to be victimized by these look-back windows?”

    Cuba Gooding Jr. is another actor who’s faced previous allegations: in June, he settled a civil case involving an alleged 2013 rape just minutes before jury selection was to begin, Deadline reported at the time. Now two women say that Gooding groped them in separate incidents at New York restaurants in 2018 and 2019. (The lawsuit can be viewed online.) Both incidents resulted in criminal charges, to which Gooding pleaded guilty. 

    According to attorney Gloria Allred, who represents both victims, Gooding’s penalties in criminal cases were insufficient, hence the suits. “Our clients were deprived of the justice they sought in the criminal case,” Allred said. “They are now seeking justice and accountability in their civil cases. We are proud of their courage and intend to vigorously fight for them until they win the justice that they deserve.” A representative for Gooding has not responded to Vanity Fair’s request for comment as of publication time.

    Sean Combs, who settled one sexual assault suit last week, now faces two more. One involves an alleged 1990s-era rape, Deadline reports. The other, filed by Joi Dickerson-Neal, claims the music mogul drugged and sexually assaulted her in 1991, when she was a student at Syracuse University. He later used images from the incident as “revenge porn,” she claims. 

    A Combs spokesperson denies the claims, saying, “This last-minute lawsuit is an example of how a well-intentioned law can be misused. Ms. Dickerson’s 32-year-old story is false and not credible. Mr. Combs never assaulted her, and she implicates companies that did not exist. This is purely a money grab and nothing more.” In a statement, Dickerson-Neal’s lawyer, Jonathan Goldhirsh, writes, “Our client has not been able to escape the continuing impact of the harm Combs caused her many years ago. Through the Adult Survivors Act, she can avail herself to the courts to finally seek justice.”

    Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose was also named in a Wednesday lawsuit from actress and model Sheila Kennedy. According to the suit, which was reported on by CNN, among others, Rose attacked Kennedy in a New York hotel room in 1989. Kennedy has made these allegations before, including in her 2016 memoir and 2021 sexual assault documentary Look Away, the Guardian notes.

    Kennedy has not responded to a request for comment; Rose attorney Alan Gutman says, “Simply put, this incident never happened. Notably, these fictional claims were filed the day before the New York State filing deadline expires … Mr. Rose has no recollection of ever meeting or speaking to the Plaintiff. He has never heard about these fictional allegations prior to today.”

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    Eve Batey

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  • Cuba Gooding Jr. settles rape lawsuit ahead of New York civil trial – National | Globalnews.ca

    Cuba Gooding Jr. settles rape lawsuit ahead of New York civil trial – National | Globalnews.ca

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    Just as a trial was to begin, it was revealed Tuesday that Cuba Gooding Jr. has settled accusations that he raped a woman in a New York City hotel a decade ago, according to court records. The actor had insisted through lawyers that his encounter with the woman was consensual after the two met at a nearby restaurant.

    The trial was to start with jury selection in a New York federal court. The Oscar-winning Jerry Maguire star faced allegations that he met the woman in Manhattan, persuaded her to join him at a hotel, and convinced her to stop at his room so he could change clothing.

    The woman said in her lawsuit that Gooding raped her in his room. His lawyers, though, insisted that it was consensual sex and that she bragged afterward to others that she had sex with a celebrity.

    Minutes after jurors were to begin assembling in a courtroom, a calendar entry in the official court record said: “TRIAL OFF.” It added: “Reason for cancellation (on consent): the parties have resolved the matter.”

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    The woman had proceeded anonymously until last week, when Judge Paul A. Crotty ruled that she would have to reveal her name at trial.

    The lawsuit sought US$6 million in damages. Lawyer Gloria Allred, one of several representing the woman, declined comment. Other lawyers, including those representing Gooding, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

    The lawsuit was filed against Gooding, who authorities say has been accused of committing sexual misconduct against more than 30 other women, including groping, unwanted kissing and other inappropriate behaviour.

    Late last week, the judge seemed to strengthen the woman’s hand at trial and in settlement negotiations by ruling that he would let three women testify that they also were subjected to sudden sexual assaults or attempted sexual assaults after meeting Gooding in social settings such as festivals, bars, nightclubs and restaurants.

    One of the women who had planned to testify at the trial was Kelsey Harbert, who told police Gooding fondled her without her consent at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge near Times Square in 2019.

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    Harbert said last year after Gooding pleaded guilty in New York state court to a charge that spared him from jail or a criminal history that never getting her day in court was “more disappointing than words can say.”

    The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they grant permission, as Harbert has done.

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    Gooding, a star in films including Boyz n the Hood and Radio, was permitted to plead guilty in April 2022 to a misdemeanour, admitting that he forcibly kissed a worker at a New York nightclub in 2018.


    Click to play video: 'Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. appears in court on 2 separate charges of sexual misconduct'


    Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. appears in court on 2 separate charges of sexual misconduct


    By staying out of trouble and completing six months of alcohol and behavioural counselling, Gooding was permitted to withdraw his guilty plea and plead guilty to a non-criminal harassment violation, eliminating his criminal record and preventing further penalties.

    &copy 2023 The Canadian Press

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  • Cuba Gooding Jr. settles lawsuit over New York City rape accusation before trial, court records say

    Cuba Gooding Jr. settles lawsuit over New York City rape accusation before trial, court records say

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    Cuba Gooding Jr. settles civil sex abuse case


    Cuba Gooding Jr. settles civil sex abuse case

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    Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. has settled accusations that he raped a woman in a New York City hotel a decade ago, according to court records. Tuesday’s revelation came as a trial was set to begin in federal court.

    The Oscar-winning “Jerry Maguire” star had insisted through lawyers that his encounter with the woman was consensual after the two met at a nearby restaurant in Manhattan.

    The woman had proceeded anonymously until last week, when Judge Paul A. Crotty ruled that she would have to reveal her name at trial. She said in her lawsuit that Gooding raped her in his hotel room after convincing her to stop at the room so he could change clothing. His lawyers, though, insisted that it was consensual sex and that she bragged afterward to others that she had sex with a celebrity.

    The lawsuit sought $6 million in damages. Gloria Allred, one of several attorneys representing the woman, declined to comment to CBS News about the reported settlement. Other lawyers, including those representing Gooding, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

    The trial was to start with jury selection in New York federal court. Minutes after jurors were to begin assembling in a courtroom, a calendar entry in the official court record said: “TRIAL OFF.” It added: “Reason for cancellation (on consent): the parties have resolved the matter.”

    The lawsuit was filed against a man who authorities say has been accused of committing sexual misconduct against more than 30 other women, including groping, unwanted kissing and other inappropriate behavior.

    Late last week, the judge seemed to strengthen the woman’s hand at trial and in settlement negotiations by ruling that he would let three women testify that they also were subjected to sudden sexual assaults or attempted sexual assaults after meeting Gooding in social settings such as festivals, bars, nightclubs and restaurants.

    One of the women who had planned to testify at the trial was Kelsey Harbert, who told police Gooding fondled her without her consent at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge near Times Square in 2019.

    Harbert said last year after Gooding pleaded guilty in New York state court to a charge that spared him from jail or a criminal history that never getting her day in court was “more disappointing than words can say.”

    In April 2022, Gooding was permitted to plead guilty to a misdemeanor, admitting that he forcibly kissed a worker at a New York nightclub in 2018.

    By staying out of trouble and completing six months of alcohol and behavioral counseling, Gooding was permitted to withdraw his guilty plea and plead guilty to a non-criminal harassment violation, eliminating his criminal record and preventing further penalties.

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  • Celebrity birthdays for the week of Jan. 1-7

    Celebrity birthdays for the week of Jan. 1-7

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    Celebrity birthdays for the week of Jan. 1-7:

    Jan. 1: Actor Frank Langella is 85. Singer-guitarist Country Joe McDonald of Country Joe and the Fish is 81. Comedian Don Novello (Father Guido Sarducci) is 80. Actor Rick Hurst (“The Dukes of Hazzard”) is 77. Rapper Grandmaster Flash is 65. Actor Renn Woods is 65. Actor Dedee Pfeiffer (“Cybill”) is 59. Actor Morris Chestnut (“The Brothers,” ″The Best Man”) is 54. Singer Tank is 47. Actor Eden Riegel (“The Young and the Restless”) is 42. Bassist Noah Sierota of Echosmith is 27.

    Jan 2: TV host Jack Hanna (“Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild”) is 76. Actor Wendy Phillips (“I Am Sam”) is 71. Actor Cynthia Sikes (“St. Elsewhere”) is 69. Actor Gabrielle Carteris (“Beverly Hills, 90210″) is 62. Actor Tia Carrere is 56. Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. is 55. Model Christy Turlington is 54. Actor Renee Elise Goldsberry (Broadway’s “Hamilton”) is 52. Actor Taye Diggs (“The Best Man,” ″How Stella Got Her Groove Back”) is 52. Singer Doug Robb of Hoobastank is 48. Actor Dax Shepard (“Parenthood”) is 48. Sax player-guitarist Jerry DePizzo Jr. of O.A.R. is 44. Singer Kelton Kessee of Immature and of IMX is 42. Musician Ryan Merchant of Capital Cities is 42. Actor Kate Bosworth is 40. Actor Anthony Carrigan (“Barry,” “Gotham”) is 40. Musician Trombone Shorty is 37. Singer Bryson Tiller is 30.

    Jan 3: Actor Dabney Coleman is 91. Singer-songwriter Van Dyke Parks is 80. Singer Stephen Stills is 78. Bassist John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin is 77. Actor Victoria Principal is 73. Actor Mel Gibson is 67. Actor Shannon Sturges (“Port Charles”) is 55. Jazz saxophonist James Carter is 54. Contemporary Christian singer Nichole Nordeman is 51. Musician Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk is 48. Actor Jason Marsden (“Ally McBeal”) is 48. Actor Danica McKellar (“The Wonder Years”) is 48. Actor Nicholas Gonzalez (“The O.C.”) is 47. Singer and former “American Idol” contestant Kimberley Locke is 45. Actor Kate Levering (“Drop Dead Diva”) is 44. Actor Nicole Beharie (“Sleepy Hollow”) is 38. Drummer Mark Pontius (Foster the People) is 38. Singer Lloyd is 37. Guitarist Nash Overstreet of Hot Chelle Rae is 37. Actor Florence Pugh (“Don’t Worry Darling,” “Little Women”) is 27.

    Jan 4: Actor Barbara Rush (“Peyton Place”) is 96. Actor Dyan Cannon is 84. Country singer Kathy Forester of the Forester Sisters is 68. Guitarist Bernard Sumner of New Order (and Joy Division) is 67. Actor Ann Magnuson (“Anything But Love”) is 67. Country singer Patty Loveless is 66. Actor Julian Sands (“24”) is 65. Singer Michael Stipe of R.E.M. is 63. Actor Dave Foley (“NewsRadio,” ″Kids in the Hall”) is 60. Actor Dot Jones (“Glee”) is 59. Actor Rick Hearst (“The Bold and the Beautiful”) is 58. Former Pogues singer Cait O’Riordan is 58. Actor Julia Ormond is 58. Country singer Deana Carter is 57. Harmonica player Benjamin Darvill of Crash Test Dummies is 56. Actor Josh Stamerg (“The Affair,” “Drop Dead Diva”) is 53. Actor Jeremy Licht (“Valerie”) is 52. Actor Damon Gupton (“Empire”) is 50. Actor Jill Marie Jones (“Girlfriends”) is 48. Actor D’Arcy Carden (“The Good Place”) is 43. Singer Spencer Chamberlain of Underoath is 40. Comedian-actor Charlyne Yi (“House,” “Steven Universe”) is 37.

    Jan 5: Actor Robert Duvall is 92. Singer-bassist Athol Guy of The Seekers is 83. Former talk show host Charlie Rose is 81. Actor Diane Keaton is 77. Actor Ted Lange (“The Love Boat”) is 75. Drummer George “Funky” Brown of Kool and the Gang is 74. Guitarist Chris Stein of Blondie is 73. Actor Pamela Sue Martin (“The Poseidon Adventure,” ″Dynasty”) is 70. Actor Clancy Brown (“Highlander,” ″SpongeBob SquarePants”) is 64. Actor Suzy Amis (“Titanic”) is 61. Actor Ricky Paull Goldin (“All My Children,” “Guiding Light”) is 58. Actor Vinnie Jones (TV’s “Deception,” film’s “X-Men: The Last Stand”) is 58. Drummer Kate Schellenbach (Luscious Jackson) is 57. Actor Joe Flanigan (“Stargate Atlantis,” ″Sisters”) is 56. Dancer and talk show host Carrie Ann Inaba (“The Talk,” “Dancing with the Stars”) is 55. Guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen of Queens of the Stone Age is 55. Singer Marilyn Manson is 54. Actor Shea Whigham (“Fast and Furious 6,” ″Boardwalk Empire”) is 54. Actor Derek Cecil (“House of Cards,” ″Treme”) is 50. Actor-comedian Jessica Chaffin (“Man with a Plan”) is 49. Actor Bradley Cooper is 48. Actor January Jones (“Mad Men”) is 45. Actor Brooklyn Sudano (“My Wife and Kids”) is 42. Actor Franz Drameh (“DC’s Legends of Tomorrow”) is 30.

    Jan 6: Accordionist Joey, the CowPolka King, of Riders in the Sky is 74. Singer Kim Wilson of the Fabulous Thunderbirds is 72. Country singer Jett Williams is 70. Actor-comedian Rowan Atkinson (“Mr. Bean”) is 68. Singer Kathy Sledge of Sister Sledge is 64. Chef Nigella Lawson is 63. Singer Eric Williams of BLACKstreet is 63. Actor Norman Reedus (“The Walking Dead”) is 54. TV personality Julie Chen is 53. Actor Danny Pintauro (“Who’s The Boss”) is 47. Actor Rinko Kikuchi (“Babel”) is 42. Actor Eddie Redmayne (“Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them,” ″The Theory of Everything”) is 41. Comedian Kate McKinnon (“Saturday Night Live”) is 39. Actor Diona Reasonover (“NCIS”) is 39. Singer Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys is 37.

    Jan 7: “Rolling Stone” magazine founder Jann Wenner is 77. Singer Kenny Loggins is 75. Singer-songwriter Marshall Chapman is 74. Actor Erin Gray (“Silver Spoons,” ″Buck Rogers in the 25th Century”) is 73. Actor Sammo Hung (“Martial Law”) is 71. Actor David Caruso is 67. TV anchor Katie Couric is 66. Country singer David Lee Murphy is 64. Bassist Kathy Valentine (The Go-Go’s) is 64. Actor David Marciano (“Homeland,” ″The Shield”) is 63. Actor Hallie Todd (“Lizzie McGuire”) is 61. Actor Nicolas Cage is 59. Singer John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting is 58. Actor Rex Lee (“Entourage”) is 54. Actor-rapper Doug E. Doug (“Cool Runnings,” ″Cosby”) is 53. Actor Kevin Rahm (“Desperate Housewives,” ″Judging Amy”) is 52. Jeremy Renner (“The Avengers,” ″The Bourne Legacy”) is 52. Country singer John Rich of Big and Rich is 49. Actor Reggie Austin (“Agent Carter,” ″Pretty Little Liars”) is 44. Singer-rapper Aloe Blacc is 44. Actor Lauren Cohan (“The Walking Dead”) is 41. Actor Brett Dalton (“Marvel’s Agents of Shield”) is 40. Actor Robert Ri’chard (“One on One”) is 40. Actor Lyndsy Fonseca (“Marvel’s Agent Carter,” “Nikita”) is 36. Actor Liam Aiken (“Lemony Snicket”) is 33. Actor Camryn Grimes (“The Young and the Restless”) is 33. Actor Marcus Scribner (“black-ish”) is 23.

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