- New York City police officers arrested Cuba Gooding Jr. on Thursday and charged him with forcible touching, after a woman complained that he groped her breast at a Manhattan nightclub on Sunday.
- Gooding Jr. has denied the claim and entered a plea of not guilty, before being released without bail.
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Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. was charged on Thursday with groping a woman at a Manhattan bar last weekend, New York City police said.
The actor faces one misdemeanor account of forcible touching in an incident on Sunday when an unidentified woman said Gooding touched her breasts.
Gooding, who denies the accusation, emerged in handcuffs after being charged at a New York police facility. The actor was taken to criminal court where he entered a not guilty plea and was released without bail.
"It's been a long day," Gooding said as he emerged from his arraignment hearing, according to the New York Post.
He nodded when asked whether he denied the claims brought against him. Gooding then offered a bizarre shout-out to former Boston Red Sox player David Ortiz, when asked if he had anything else to add (Ortiz is recovering from a gunshot wound).
"Get well, Big Papi!" he said.
Gooding's attorney, Mark J. Heller, said he was "completely confident that (Gooding) will be totally exonerated."
"There is not a scintilla of criminal culpability that can be attributed to Cuba Gooding Jr.," Heller told reporters.
Heller said he was "shocked and horrified" that the case was being prosecuted after he presented police with security video from the bar that the attorney said showed no criminal behavior by Gooding.
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Gooding, 51, won a supporting actor Oscar in 1997 for "Jerry Maguire" and had roles in "A Few Good Men,""The Butler" and the television miniseries "The People v. O.J. Simpson."
Gooding was the latest Hollywood figure to be swept up in a sexual misconduct scandal that has roiled the entertainment industry in the last two years.
The actor, who is divorced, is one of dozens of men in politics, entertainment, sports and the business world who have been accused of sexual misconduct since allegations against movie producer Harvey Weinstein triggered the #MeToo movement.
Read more: Cuba Gooding Jr. has turned himself in to the NYPD after a woman accused him of groping her at a bar
Heller accused the woman who lodged the complaint against Gooding last weekend of seeking "simply to get their 15 minutes of fame" and said he hoped she would herself be prosecuted once Gooding's case is resolved.
New York media reported on Thursday that another woman had come forward this week alleging inappropriate touching by Gooding in 2008.
Heller said Gooding had "no knowledge" of the alleged 2008 incident, which falls outside the statute of limitations for any potential charges.
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