Second woman accuses Cuba Gooding Jr. of groping: police source
MANHATTAN — A second woman has come forward accusing actor Cuba Gooding Jr. of misconduct, a police source told PIX11 News Thursday.
The woman told police of an incident that happened on March 1, 2008, when Gooding allegedly groped her buttocks inside a West 45th Street restaurant.
The accusation is the second against the Oscar winner.
This week, a 29-year-old woman told police Gooding, 51, grabbed her breast around 11:15 p.m Sunday at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge in Midtown Manhattan while he was intoxicated.
US actor Cuba Gooding Jr. (DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)
Gooding denies the allegations.
He told TMZ that he was at the bar partying with friends but didn’t touch anyone. He said there’s a video that shows “what really happened.”
“I trust the system and will let the process speak for itself,” Gooding said.
Gooding’s attorney, Mark Heller, told TMZ he viewed surveillance video from the bar, and says it shows “absolutely no criminality taking place on the part of my client.”
His attorney initially stated that Gooding would surrender himself to the NYPD special victims unit that’s leading the investigation before going to court for an arraignment. The lawyer expected Gooding to make a statement to the media before getting booked.
Video posted on social media shows Gooding at Magic Hour on Sunday night singing the Journey hit “Faithfully” and posing for pictures with fans.
The bar, on the roof of the Moxy Hotel south of Times Square, features a mini-golf course and sweeping views of the Empire State Building and other Big Apple landmarks.
The news of the second woman’s accusation was first reported by the New York Daily News.
Gooding, a Bronx native, rose to fame after starring in “Boyz N the Hood” in 1991.
Six years later, he won an Oscar for his role as a professional football player in “Jerry Maguire.” His signature line, “Show me the money,” became a popular catchphrase.
Gooding was nominated for an Emmy Award last year for playing O.J. Simpson in the FX series “The People v. O.J. Simpson” and recently appeared on Broadway and London’s West End as lawyer Billy Flynn in “Chicago.”