courts

Cuba Gooding Jr. Pleads Not Guilty to Forcible Touching Charge

Cuba Gooding Jr. Photo: Steven Ferdman/Shutterstock

Cuba Gooding Jr. pleaded not guilty after he was accused of forcibly touching a woman at a Manhattan night club. On Thursday, Gooding was arraigned on two misdemeanor charges: one count of forcible touching and one count of sexual abuse in the third degree; he pleaded not guilty to both, according to the Manhattan district attorney’s office. Judge Herb Moses released the actor without bail.

A surveillance video posted by TMZ appeared to show the alleged assault. In the video, Gooding and his girlfriend, Claudine De Niro, are seen talking to a fan at the Magic Hour Rooftop Lounge. Gooding’s attorney Mark Heller previously told TMZ that he’d seen the surveillance footage, and that it showed “no criminality.â€

Gooding is due back in court June 26.

Cuba Gooding Jr. Pleads Not Guilty to Forcible Touching