Back in June Cuba Gooding Jr. surrendered to police after a woman accused him of groping her breasts at a Times Square night club.
Last week the Oscar-winning actor was arraigned on two additional charges. Gooding, with his hands cuffed behind his back, appeared before a Manhattan Criminal Court judge and plead not guilty to four counts of forcible touching and third-degree sexual abuse. In addition to introducing the new charges, prosecutors say they uncovered evidence of a pattern of bad behavior by Gooding.
After Gooding entered the not guilty plea, he was hit with more allegations as prosecutor Jenna Long presented to the court claims dating back to 2001. In those claims 12 women say Gooding either kissed, licked, groped, bit, or pinched them on intimate parts of their bodies without consent.
In her presentation to the court Long states, “The defendant’s past behavior shows that he routinely approaches women while at bars or nightclubs with whom he has limited or no prior interaction, and touches them inappropriately”.
Prosecutors filed a motion in a bid to have these new allegations, though unproven, be admissible in Goodings trial on the charges he plead not guilty to.
Speaking outside of court Goodings lawyer, Mark J. Heller, said he was “shocked,” “outraged” and “absolutely dumbfounded” that the case against Gooding is even moving forward. Regarding the new allegations, Heller tells CNN, “Frequently when a high-profile individual is charged with criminal proceedings people come out of the woodwork to attempt to attach to the high profiles notoriety. We are certain that this is just being employed by the prosecutor to bolster an incredulous indictment which will never give rise to a conviction and to besmirch the reputation of the beloved Bronx native Cuba Gooding Jr. who will certainly be exonerated fully.”
Gooding is scheduled to return to court on December 13.
