Cuba Gooding Jr. faces flurry of new accusers with bombshell claims of sexual assault
Cuba Gooding Jr.’s attorney Mark Heller says there’s no evidence to support the indictment.
More than a dozen women have come forward against actor Cuba Gooding Jr. since the “Jerry Maguire” star was accused in June of grabbing a woman’s breast, according to court papers released Tuesday.
Gooding was arraigned Tuesday in New York Supreme Court, where he pleaded not guilty to charges related to two female accusers – one who claims he fondled her breast in June and another who alleges he groped her buttocks, court records show.
Gooding’s case was already in the midst of the jury selection process last week when prosecutors announced his indictment, effectively delaying the matter, Page Six reported.
Twelve additional women have since come forward with claims of their own, with alleged crimes dating as far back as 2001, documents show. Although Gooding has not been criminally charged as a result of their claims, the women’s’ allegations can – and will – be used as evidence at trial, prosecutors said in court papers.
On Oct. 24, 2018, Gooding allegedly “pinched the buttocks of a woman” while inside TAO Downtown nightclub on Ninth Avenue in Manhattan. The second incident occurred around 10:15 p.m. on June 9 of this year, while he was at a different Manhattan hotspot, Magic Hour, according to court papers.
“[A] female patron at the bar sat down and interacted with [Gooding] and his companion, Claudine De Niro, the ex-wife of Robert De Niro’s son, Raphael. [Gooding] then made sexually suggestive remark to this woman.”
Cuba Gooding Jr. (L) and Claudine De Niro attend the "Godfather Of Harlem" New York Screening at The Apollo Theater on September 16, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
“Defendant placed his hand on this woman’s left breast, without her consent, and squeezed her breast.”
Many of the 12 women have reported Gooding made lewd comments, in addition to the unwanted sexual contact.
In one instance, in February 2011, Gooding approached a woman at a Los Angeles bar, where he allegedly reached into her shirt and grabbed her bare breast, court papers show.
“[H]e stated, in sum and substance, ‘sit on my face, pee in my mouth.’”
While at Nobu Malibu in 2015, where the Hollywood star is a frequent diner known to take selfies with female fans, he tried to kiss a different woman on the mouth, then bit her, according to documents.
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“When she pushed [Gooding] off and told him to leave her alone … [she] observed the defendant place his hand on the front of her friend’s dress and move his hand up towards her friend’s vagina.”
Following Tuesday's arraignment, Gooding's attorney Mark Heller said he plans to ask that the court send the case to trial to expedite the legal process.
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“We are completely confident that there will be no criminal conviction of Cuba Gooding Jr. ... [He] is certainly innocent of the allegations that would be presented today before the court," Heller said prior to his client’s court appearance. “We feel four months is far too long a period of time to put a person like Cuba’s life on hold.”
Fox News reporter Maria Paronich contributed to this story.