MORE PEOPLE VS CUBA GOODING: NEW #METOO CHARGES?
Under trial for groping a woman, the actor is facing fresh charges in connection with the case
Actor Cuba Gooding Jr’s trial on charges of groping a woman at a Manhattan bar was postponed Thursday as prosecutors revealed they had brought new charges against him in connection with another incident. He is expected to appear in Manhattan Supreme Court on Tuesday to enter a plea to the new charges, which are not yet public, according to the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance.
Gooding won a supporting actor Oscar for Jerry Maguire 1996) and is known for his roles n films including A Few Good Men (1992), The Butler (2013)
nd the television miniseries The People v OJ Simpson.
He had been scheduled to go o trial on the original charges hursday, but the additional charges mean the trial will be delayed. A new date has not yet been set.
Gooding’s lawyer, Mark Heller, said video from the bar where his client was accused of groping the woman “clearly shows that there was no groping or crime.”
“Clearly the prosecutor was not prepared to proceed to trial in this case,” he said. Heller added he did not have any details about the new charges.
“I doubt it’s anything that’s credible,” he said.
Gooding, 51, was charged with one misdemeanour count of forcible touching in June after a 29-year-old woman said the actor, allegedly intoxicated, had placed his hands on her breast without her consent and squeezed it, in a bar in Midtown Manhattan. The actor, who voluntarily surrendered at the time, and was charged with third-degree misdemeanour sexual abuse and forcible touching, denied the allegation.
Gooding is one of dozens of men in politics, entertainment, sports and the business world who have been accused of sexual misconduct since allegations against movie producer Harvey Weinstein triggered the #MeToo movement in 2017.
If convicted, Gooding faces up to a year in a jail.