Accused of groping three women
A judge has announced that Cuba Gooding Jr. will go on trial next February, with the actor facing groping allegations from three different women at three different night spots in Manhattan.
As The Associated Press reported, Judge Curtis Farber set the trial date for Feb. 1, saying he wanted an earlier date, but Gooding’s lawyer Peter Toumbekis said the Oscar-winner would be busy with another trial in New York.
“I want to lock this down for trial,” said Farber. “This case has been on my calendar for two years, going on three years.”
“If I give you a firm date, I don’t want to hear that the case in the Bronx didn’t go and the judge adjourned it to February,” Farber added.
Gooding had originally been scheduled to go on trial in April 2020, but that was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
One woman has accused Gooding of punching her buttocks while another has accused him of squeezing her breasts.
These are not the only allegations that Gooding is currently facing. In July, a federal judge found the “Jerry Maguire” actor liable in a rape lawsuit.
Judge Paul Crotty issued a default judgement against Gooding, finding that he had “completely failed to engage with this case.” The case was filed by a woman identified as “Jane Doe” who alleged that Gooding raped her in 2013 in his hotel room.
“Defendant’s failure to appear in this case or answer the complaint after being properly served indicates that his default was willful,” wrote Crotty. Gooding could potentially owe millions in damages.
