14 April 2022

Cuba Gooding Jr has pleaded guilty to forcibly touching a woman.

Cuba Gooding Jr has pleaded guilty

The 54-year-old actor was previously accused of groping a women at a New York City rooftop bar in 2018, and during a court appearance in Manhattan on Wednesday (13.04.22), the actor admitted to kissing a waitress “on her lips” without her consent.

He told the courtroom: “I apologise for ever making anybody feel inappropriately touched.”

The incident took place inside the LAVO New York restaurant and nightclub.

Gooding Jr has been accused of violating three different women in New York in 2018 and 2019 – but having previously denied all of the allegations, he’s now pleaded guilty to one count of forcibly touching a woman.

The Hollywood star’s plea deal calls for no jail time, the New York Times newspaper reports. But provided he continues counselling for six months, Gooding Jr will be able to withdraw the misdemeanour plea and he will instead be able to plead guilty to harassment, which is a lesser violation.

Meanwhile, Mason Gooding – the veteran actor’s son – previously addressed the allegations against his dad.

The 25-year-old actor thinks it’s important that people feel “comfortable speaking about their experiences” – but he also suggested that the allegations would have been out of character for his dad.

During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in January, Mason said: “I couldn’t be more grateful to live in a time in which someone – man, woman, anyone – would feel comfortable speaking about their experiences.

“I also love my father, and given who he is and how he raised me, I’m happy to say, nothing I’ve read, heard or had discussed with me has been in line with any way I’ve known him to behave.”