Sometimes when a non-famous person files a legal claim against a famous person, skeptics and idiots claim that they're "just trying to get attention" as a way to ignore the sometimes terrible actions of people they idolize (see Roman Polanski for one particularly harrowing example). But sometimes claiming you've been injured or otherwise damaged by a celebrity really is just a quick ticket to headlines-- that is, until your case falls apart entirely.
That seems to be what's happening with Cuba Gooding Jr., who was accused by a New Orleans bartender of having shoved her, and seemed to be heading for court. But according to TMZ, the City Attorney has refused to file charges after the bartender failed to show up to defend her case. She had announced the day before that she didn't want to press charges after all, so the change of heart wasn't exactly a surprise.
There's no debate that Gooding Jr. was at the bar in question and caused a scuffle-- there's video at TMZ of a screaming match outside the bar-- but apparently whatever happened was a spectacle, but not a crime. It reminds me of when Lost star Matthew Fox was accused of punching a female bus driver, only to have charges dropped-- or more dramatically, the famous case of Justin Bieber's would-be baby mama, who didn't have a case at all. While Gooding Jr. clearly earned some of the trouble that came his way, he seemed to only risk time in court because of his famous name.
(Photo credit via cinemafestival / Shutterstock.com)
