I was frisky, not inappropriate! Oscar winner in cuffs over groping claims
ACTOR Cuba Gooding Jr was led into court in handcuffs after turning himself in over groping allegations.
The 51-year-old star, who won an Oscar for his role in Jerry Maguire, is accused of grabbing a woman’s breast and thigh during a night out in Manhattan last weekend – which he denies.
Gooding, who handed himself in to police in New York after the woman made a complaint, was seen smiling and waving after the handcuffs were removed.
CCTV footage from the night shows Gooding at the Magic Hour Rooftop Lounge in New York with his girlfriend Claudine De Niro on Sunday. The two are filmed sitting on a sofa when his accuser, 29, takes a seat next to Miss De Niro, who was previously married to the son of actor Robert De Niro.
Gooding then appears to reach across his girlfriend’s body and place his hand on the woman’s left thigh.
Moments later he runs his right hand up the woman’s torso and appears to touch her breast and kiss her hand. He appeared unstable on his feet in a later video.
His lawyer Mark Heller said the actor had done ‘absolutely nothing wrong’, adding that his client is ‘frisky but not inappropriate’.
He said: ‘I frankly am shocked and horrified that this case is being prosecuted. Mr Gooding has not acted inappropriately in any shape or form.’
Mr Heller claimed security videos would exonerate Gooding, who appeared in court on Thursday, adding: ‘Nothing in the video could even be considered ambiguous and I am shocked and horrified that this case is being prosecuted.’
The allegations are the latest controversy to hit the actor and star of The People v OJ Simpson, who has been dogged by accusations of hard partying and misconduct.
His surrender to authorities came hours after it was reported that a second woman had come forward with a separate groping allegation against the actor in 2008. Mr Heller said he did not think the historic allegation suggested a pattern of misbehaviour – saying his client was ‘sometimes frisky but not inappropriate’. In New York state, forcible touching is a Class A misdemeanour. If convicted, Gooding faces a maximum penalty of one year in jail or a three-year probation order and £795 fine.
Mr Heller accused the woman who lodged the complaint last weekend of seeking ‘simply to get their 15 minutes of fame’. He added that he hoped she herself would be prosecuted after Gooding’s case is resolved. The actor, who is divorced, is one of dozens of men in Hollywood, politics, sports and the business world to be accused of sexual misconduct in the wake of the #MeToo movement, triggered by sexual allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein.
Gooding was released without bail after pleading not guilty.