Cuba Gooding Jr. Pleads Guilty In Supreme Court Indictment, Cops Plea Deal To Avoid Jail
By Afouda Bamidele on April 13, 2022 at 6:45 PM EDT
Cuba Gooding Jr is in hot water with the law, but he has the chance to seemingly redeem himself if he cooperates. The "Boyz n the Hood" actor's sexual misconduct case received a verdict today after he copped a plea deal.
Per a statement from the Manhattan DA to The Blast, Gooding Jr. pled guilty to one count of Forcible Touching (a class A misdemeanor) on Wednesday.
Cuba Gooding Jr. Cops Plea Deal To Avoid Jail Time
The iconic actor was charged for forcible touching in connection with a 2019 case of sexual misconduct where a woman claimed Gooding Jr. kissed her at New York City's LAVO nightclub without consent in September 2018.
He was indicted by the grand jury in that case after he was arrested after another woman accused him of touching her breast without consent on a rooftop in New York.
The Academy Award winner admitted to kissing the woman without consent alongside subjecting two other women to non-consensual physical contact in October 2018 and June 2019.
Initially, Gooding Jr. pled not guilty and wanted the indictment which consisted of six counts to be thrown out of court, but has now copped a plea deal to avoid jail time for the grievous offenses.
However, the plea deal didn't come without some strict conditions. The term of the plea deal reads, "Mr. Gooding must continue the alcohol and behavior modification treatment he began in 2019 for six more months and have no new arrests."
The deal also gives the aggrieved women permission to provide a Victim Impact Statement, which gives them the opportunity to speak during Gooding Jr's sentencing, if he is indeed sentenced.
If the Bronx native meets the terms of the plea deal, he will be able to "replead to Harassment in the Second Degree, with a sentence of time served and a permanent stay of sealing." If he however fails to meet up, he faces up to one year in jail.
One Of The Victims Made A Victim Impact Statement
According to ADA Coleen Balbert, Gooding has been in counseling since September 2019 with a therapist and will continue his treatment as part of the plea deal for the next six months.
Balbert will receive monthly reports of Gooding's progress with his therapist to ensure that he doesn't re-offend. While speaking about the survivors, the ADA said, "I would just like to say that we fully credit and believe all of the survivors in this case and thank all of the women and other witnesses who cooperated with our office during the pendency of our investigation."
He reiterated that all three complainants were allowed to make a victim impact statement, with one of the women choosing to make hers today. Also, the complainants were spared from having to testify at trial and being subject to cross-examination.
Gooding Jr's plea deal comes months after he made headlines for his controversial look at Alice & Olivia’s Fashion show during the New York Fashion Week in 2021.
As covered by The Blast, while stepping out on the red carpet, the "Fighting Temptations" star ripped open his shirt to show off his toned body while posing for the clicking cameras. He donned a wine shirt over plain black trousers paired with striped sneakers.
