Cuba Gooding Jr. Pleads Guilty: Actor arrives at NY State Supreme Court
Cuba Gooding Jr. pleaded guilty to one count of forcibly touching a woman at a New York City rooftop bar in 2018, three years after being apprehended and accused of sexual misconduct by numerous women.
Gooding, 54, admitted in his guilty plea that he “kissed the waitress on the lips” inside the LAVO New York restaurant and nightclub without her consent.
According to the Associated Press and The New York Times, the plea agreement reached on Wednesday calls for no jail time. Furthermore, he can plead guilty to harassment at a lower level than misdemeanor if he attends six months of counseling.
“I apologize for ever making anybody feel inappropriately touched,” Gooding told the courtroom, per the Times.
Gooding turned himself in to the New York Police Department in June 2019 after allegations that he groped a woman at a Manhattan rooftop bar.
According to the woman, Gooding had been “highly intoxicated” at the time of the incident and fondled her breasts at Manhattan’s Magic Hour Rooftop Bar and Lounge. Two more accusations surfaced months later, one of which he pleaded guilty to.
Separately, Gooding was charged in 2020 with raping a woman twice inside his New York City hotel room in 2013. He has denied the allegations, and the case is still pending.
Gooding’s most major recent roles include O.J. Simpson in American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. and Roanoke in American Horror Story, both of which were released in 2016.
