Oscar-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr. pleads guilty to forcible touching
Academy Award-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr. on Wednesday pleaded guilty to forcibly touching a woman at a nightclub in 2018. The Jerry Maguire actor's plea deal comes around three years after he was arrested. Although he was accused of violating three women at various New York nightclubs in 2018 and 2019, he has pleaded guilty to one of the allegations. Trigger warning: Sexual assault.
Why does this story matter?
It was in 2019 that Gooding was accused of groping a woman in a Manhattan nightclub. After this, the Freedom star was charged with two additional cases of abuse as more women came forward. During a court proceeding in August 2020, prosecutors said 30 women had made allegations against him. The case saw repeated delays due to attempts at getting it dismissed/charged reduced.
Gooding admitted to kissing waitress without her consent
The 54-year-old told the judge he "kissed the waitress on her lips" without consent at Lavo New York nightclub. He also admitted to two other incidents of non-consensual contact. Before this, Gooding had denied all six misdemeanor counts and all allegations of wrongdoing. In fact, his defense contended the actor was being "unfairly tarnished in the fervor of the #MeToo era."
These were conditions of Gooding's plea deal
By placing the guilty plea, Gooding will now not face any immediate jail time as it was one of the conditions of the deal. Other terms included the continuation of alcohol and behavior modification treatment for six months and no new arrests. If these terms are met, the actor can withdraw the misdemeanor plea and re-plead to harassment, which is a lesser violation.
Gooding is also accused in a rape civil suit
"I apologize for making anybody ever feel inappropriately touched," Gooding said in the court, addressing his victims. "I am a celebrity figure," the actor noted, adding, "I come into contact with people. I never want them to feel slighted or uncomfortable in any way." Aside from this criminal case, Gooding has an ongoing civil suit, where he's accused of raping a woman in 2013.
