Cuba Gooding Jr: Actor Admits Forcibly Kissing Waitress

Cuba Gooding Jr, an actor, has admitted to forcibly kissing a woman as part of a plea deal that is expected to end his criminal case.

In 2018, the Oscar winner admitted to forcibly kissing a waitress in a nightclub, pleading guilty to a misdemeanour charge.He must attend six months of counselling in order to avoid any further arrests. If he does, he can rescind his plea and instead plead guilty to a lesser violation of harassment. If he does not, he could face a year in jail.

Gooding Jr, 54, won an Oscar for his role in Jerry Maguire in 1996 and has also appeared in films such as Boyz N the Hood and Men of Honour. More than 20 women have accused him of groping and unwanted touching, with three of the allegations leading to criminal charges. According to his lawyer, the plea deal means all three charges will be dropped. He was accused of groping the two women who brought the other charges in 2018 and 2019.

“If he stays out of trouble for six months, that charge [to which he pleaded guilty] will be withdrawn, and he will have no criminal record at the end of this,” his lawyer Frank Rothman told the AFP news agency.

“I apologise for making anyone ever feel inappropriately touched,” the actor said in court on Wednesday.

“I am a well-known figure. People come into contact with me. I never want them to feel belittled or in any way uneasy.”

According to the Associated Press, one of the two other women testified in court on Wednesday, saying Gooding Jr grabbed her breast “as if I were a piece of meat for dinner that night.”

“I’m very sad and unsure of what I can do,” she continued. A civil lawsuit has been filed against Gooding Jr by a woman who claims he raped her twice in 2013, which he denies.

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