Cuba Gooding Jr. was named in a lawsuit filed against Diddy (real name Sean Combs) earlier this year, and he has now addressed the allegations made about him.
In late February, a producer named Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones (who worked on The Love Album: Off the Grid) accused the Bad Boy Records boss of sexual harassment as well as drugging and threatening him over the course of a year. Approximately a month later, he added the 56-year-old actor to the ongoing case as a defendant.
Per court documents obtained by HipHopDX, the plaintiff claims that he feared Combs would “groom him to pass him off to his friends” — this apparently came true when the mogul introduced him to the Jerry McGuire star, who allegedly “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.”
Alongside an image of the alleged encounter, the filing adds: “He rejected his advances and Mr. Gooding Jr. did not stop until Mr. Jones forcibly pushed him away.”
During an interview on the PBD Podcast that was published on Wednesday (May 8), the Hollywood veteran shared his thoughts on the ordeal as well as his recent inclusion in it.
“I think whatever [Diddy’s] dealing with, he’s on his journey, man,” he began. “I think that God has got him on a path where— I can’t imagine that he’s stupid enough to do whatever he’s doing and keep it on his premises. I think that the raid and all of that stuff, only time will tell – who was involved, who had been a frequent guest in these places and areas.
“It’s funny because my lawyers said, y’know, ‘Every outlet in the world wants to talk to you,’ and again, I’m like, ‘I’m not defining myself from some headline in the press,’ so I stay quiet.”
The Bronx native then said that the image being used against him as evidence has been positioned to fit a false narrative, because he was just listening to a new song by the businessman and not trying to impose himself on Rod.
“That picture — everyone in the room; there’s probably 300 of us on the deck of P. Diddy’s boat on New Year’s Eve,” he added. “This guy who’s suing him [is] going after the money, man. I’m sure, and by the way, I don’t know P. Diddy’s life. I don’t know what he’s going through […] We were acquaintances, just like I just showed you. Two–three times I’ve seen him.”
Listen to Academy Award winner share his side of the story at the 1:23:49 mark below:
According to a trigger warning that prefaces the court documents of the lawsuit in question, the filing contains “highly graphic information of a sexual nature, including sexual assault.”
It continues: “Additionally, there are graphic images of the aftermath of a shooting, redacted images of sexual intercourse, redacted images of minors, sex workers, and prostitutes, details of sex trafficking, the illegal distribution of guns, and drugs.”
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Diddy has vehemently denied all claims, with his lawyer Shawn Holley sharing a statement with HipHopDX to shut down the allegations.
“Lil Rod is nothing more than a liar who filed a $30million lawsuit shamelessly looking for an undeserved payday,” she wrote. “His reckless name-dropping about events that are pure fiction and simply did not happen is nothing more than a transparent attempt to garner headlines.
“We have overwhelming, indisputable proof that his claims are complete lies. Our attempts to share this proof with [Lil Rod]’s attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, have been ignored, as Mr. Blackburn refuses to return our calls.”
She concluded: “We will address these outlandish allegations in court and take all appropriate action against those who make them.”
