In a Manhattan courtroom Wednesday, Oscar-winner Cuba Gooding Jr. pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor forcible touching charge to resolve his forcible touching and sex assault case in Manhattan.
The actor had been accused of forcibly kissing a woman at a nightclub in September 2018. He also admitted to subjecting two other women to non-consensual physical contact in October 2018 and June 2019.
The actor could avoid jail time if he continues for six more months the alcohol and behavior modification treatment he began in 2019, and have no new arrests. If he does both, the Jerry Maguire star is allowed to re-plead to a lesser charge of Harassment in the Second Degree, with a sentence of time served and a permanent stay of sealing. If he does not comply, he faces up to one year in jail.
Gooding’s next court date is October 13, 2022.
Gooding, 53, was arrested in June 2019 after a 29-year-old woman said he squeezed her breast at the Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge in Times Square. Prosecutors added additional charges after two other women came forward and accused him of unwanted sexual overtures, including a server at TAO Downtown and another woman at the nightclub LAVO.
Gooding had long denied the charges, with his attorneys contending he was unfairly accused in the fervor of the #MeToo era.
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