Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of forcible touching in a protracted criminal case accusing the Oscar-winning “Jerry Maguire” star of violating three different women at various Manhattan night spots in 2018 and 2019.
The single guilty plea came nearly three years after Gooding's arrest in the case that saw several delays as his lawyers sought to get the charges reduced or dismissed. It had been scheduled to go to trial at least twice, with an April 2020 trial date scuttled as coronavirus cases surged in New York and the state shut down most court matters.
Gooding, 54, was arrested in June 2019 after a 29-year-old woman told police he squeezed her breast without her consent at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge near Times Square. A few months later, he was charged in two additional cases as more women came forward to accuse him of abuse. The new charges alleged he pinched a server’s buttocks after making a sexually suggestive remark to her at TAO Downtown and forcibly touched a woman inappropriately at the LAVO New York nightclub, both in 2018.Gooding had previously pleaded not guilty to six misdemeanor counts and denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
The judge had ruled that if the Gooding case went to trial, prosecutors could have called two additional women to testify about their allegations that Gooding also violated them. Those women, whose claims did not result in criminal charges, were among 19 other accusers whom prosecutors were seeking to call as witnesses.
Along with the criminal case, Gooding is accused in a lawsuit of raping a woman in New York City in 2013. After a judge issued a default judgment in July because Gooding hadn’t responded to the lawsuit, the actor retained a lawyer and is fighting the allegations.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
White Noise honours the work of promising young actor and writer Taran KootenhayooWhite Noise
Read more »
Gilbert Gottfried, comedian and actor, has diedGilbert Gottfried, a comedian and film and television actor with a distinctly memorable voice, has died after a long illness, his family announced on Tuesday.
Read more »
Gilbert Gottfried, standup comic and actor, dies at 67Gilbert Gottfried, the actor and legendary standup comic known for his raw, scorched voice and crude jokes, has died. He was 67.
Read more »
Gilbert Gottfried, standup comic and actor, dies at 67Gottfried was a fiercely independent and intentionally bizarre comedian’s comedian
Read more »
Actor and comedian Gilbert Gottfried dead at 67, family confirms | CBC NewsAmerican actor and comedian Gilbert Gottfried has died at the age of 67, his family confirmed on social media.
Read more »