Cuba Gooding Jr. pleads guilty to forcibly touching a woman

Oscar-winner Cuba Gooding Jr. has pleaded guilty to forcibly touching a woman in an incident dating back to 2018.

The actor was previously accused of violating three different women in 2018 and 2019 but pleaded guilty to just one charge. He admitted to the judge that he "kissed the waitress on her lips" without her consent at New York's LAVO nightclub.

Gooding's plea deal calls for no jail time, and "if he continues counseling for six months, he can withdraw the misdemeanor plea and plead guilty to a lesser violation of harassment," according to the AP.

"I apologize for ever making anybody feel inappropriately touched," Gooding said in court.

"Today, two of the three cases were dismissed, and as for the third case, Cuba Gooding Jr. entered into a re-pleader today whereby in six months his case will be disposed of with a violation, which is not a crime, resulting in no criminal record," said Gooding's attorney Peter Toumbekis when reached for comment.

Gooding had turned himself in to police in 2019 after a woman accused him of touching her breasts at the Magic Hour Rooftop Bar and Lounge in Manhattan. Subsequently, several more women came forward to accuse the actor of sexual misconduct.

Gooding has also been accused of raping a woman twice in 2013, allegations he has denied. The case is ongoing.

In all, more than 20 women have accused Gooding of groping or forcibly kissing them over the course of two decades. The judge ruled that two of his accusers could testify against him, should Gooding's case go to trial, as prosecutors planned to argue that the actor had a history of sexual misconduct, according to The New York Times.

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