Celebrity News June 14, 2019
New Video: Cuba Gooding Jr.’s Alleged Assault Caught by Surveillance Camera
A new video has surfaced of Cuba Gooding Jr. and his accuser at a Manhattan nightclub the night he allegedly groped her.
He turned himself in to police yesterday and was officially charged with one count of misdemeanor forcible touching and one count of misdemeanor sexual abuse in the third degree, according to Vulture.
Cuba pled not guilty to both charges, and was later released without bail.
The Oscar winner has declared his innocence, telling TMZ on Tuesday that he is “absolutely not” guilty, and that “there's a tape that shows what really happened. That's the most important thing.”
This could be the video he's referring to. The surveillance footage from the Magic Hour Rooftop Lounge, obtained by TMZ, shows Cuba sitting next to his girlfriend Claudine De Niro when the accuser approaches the table.
The actor appears to reach over to place his hand on her thigh, and then moves his hand toward her chest. She puts her hand on his. The pivotal question is… does she push his hand away or allow him to kiss her hand?
A second video shows the woman approaching security about a half hour later as Cuba and Claudine kiss on a nearby couch.
She later called 911 in the wee hours of Monday morning to report that Gooding Jr. had touched her breast.
Cuba's attorney Mark Heller told TMZ he had reviewed surveillance footage from the club and found “no criminality.”
A court date was set for June 26.