Prosecutors seeking to convict Cuba Gooding Jr of sexual abuse say they have 14 women willing to testify about the alleged crimes, as additional charges were added to the Oscar-winning actor’s case.
Gooding, 51, was handcuffed as he strode into court in New York on Tuesday and entered a not guilty plea to all four counts.
The initial two counts of sexual abuse and forcible touching relate to an incident on June 9, at a rooftop bar above a Times Square hotel. Gooding is accused of drunkenly groping the woman’s breasts.
Two further counts of sexual abuse and forcible touching were added to the case on Tuesday, relating to an incident on October 28, 2018 at Tao nightclub in the Chelsea district of Manhattan. In that incident Gooding is accused of pinching a woman’s bottom.
Gooding’s lawyer Mark Heller said the case was “incredulous” and “unbelievable”, arguing that Gooding was being vilified for standard human interaction in the way that Joe Biden was accused of making a woman feel uncomfortable by touching her on the shoulder.
Rii Schroer for The Telegraph
“This indictment constitutes a distorted over-reaction, pandering to a hypersensitive climate where innocent commonplace gestures are now characterised as offensive,” said Mr Heller.
“This is exemplified by the condemnation of former vice president Joe Biden, who innocently touched a woman’s shoulder.”
Mr Heller railed against the “extreme weakness” of the case, and told the court that a 10-second video of the encounter, which he said was leaked by the police, proved the innocence of his client. He said that four different DNA samples had been identified on the accuser’s dress, and said hundreds of witnesses had been interviewed.
“The jury and taxpayers of New York City will be outraged by this waste of time and money,” he insisted.
However the prosecution revealed that they have 12 additional accusers whose testimony they would like to be included in the case, as supporting witnesses.
The women accuse Gooding of groping and forcibly kissing them at bars and clubs in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, Albuquerque and Dallas.
One of the accusers allegedly told him: “You’re so nasty”.
Another claims she was groped by him in a Malibu bar in 2014. A year later, crossing paths with him again, she punched him and yelled at him about “what he did”. Gooding then left the bar.
The allegations date back to 2001.
Gooding voluntarily handed himself over to New York police on June 13.
He will be back in court on December 13.