Cuba Gooding Jr. was arrested on June 13, 2019, after turning himself in to the NYPD’s Special Victims Unit on a misdemeanor forcible touching charge stemming from an incident four nights earlier at a Manhattan rooftop bar. The case eventually expanded to six misdemeanor counts involving three accusers, and nearly three years later Gooding entered a conditional plea that allowed him to avoid jail time entirely. Several civil lawsuits followed, including one that ended in a six-figure default judgment against him.
What Happened at the Magic Hour Rooftop Bar
On the night of June 9, 2019, a 29-year-old woman accused Gooding of squeezing her breast without consent at the Magic Hour Rooftop Bar and Lounge near Times Square.1ABC News. Cuba Gooding Jr. Charged With Misdemeanor Forcible Touching Four days later, Gooding surrendered to the NYPD’s Special Victims Unit, was charged with one count of misdemeanor forcible touching, and pleaded not guilty in Manhattan Criminal Court the same day.2Deadline. Cuba Gooding Jr. Not Guilty Plea
Under New York law, forcible touching is defined as intentionally touching the sexual or intimate parts of another person for purposes of degradation or sexual gratification, and the statute specifies that it includes squeezing, grabbing, or pinching.3New York State Senate. New York Penal Law Section 130.52 – Forcible Touching As a class A misdemeanor, the charge carried a maximum of 364 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.4NCSL. Misdemeanor Sentencing Trends
How the Case Grew
Two more women came forward, and in October 2019 prosecutors filed a superseding indictment. One accuser alleged Gooding pinched her buttocks and made a sexually suggestive remark at TAO Downtown in 2018. The other alleged he forcibly touched her at the LAVO New York nightclub, also in 2018.5Rolling Stone. Cuba Gooding Jr. Pleads Guilty to Forcible Touching By the time the dust settled on the indictment, Gooding faced six misdemeanor counts.6WDIO. Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. Pleads Guilty to Forcible Touching
Prosecutors also identified 12 additional “uncharged acts” from 2001 through 2018 as potential pattern evidence, and a judge ruled two of those accusers could testify if the case went to trial.7Los Angeles Times. Cuba Gooding Jr. Indictment Plea Not Guilty6WDIO. Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. Pleads Guilty to Forcible Touching Gooding’s attorney, Mark Heller, moved to dismiss, citing witness accounts and video evidence he said contradicted the initial allegation. The judge denied the motion, ruling the conflicting accounts should be resolved at trial.8Los Angeles Times. Cuba Gooding Jr. Indicted Groping
The Plea Deal That Kept Him Out of Jail
A planned April 2020 trial was scuttled by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the case dragged on. On April 13, 2022, Gooding appeared before Judge Curtis Farber in Manhattan Criminal Court and pleaded guilty to one count of forcible touching related to forcibly kissing a woman at the LAVO nightclub in 2018.9The New York Times. Cuba Gooding Jr. Guilty5Rolling Stone. Cuba Gooding Jr. Pleads Guilty to Forcible Touching He also admitted to two additional incidents of non-consensual contact.10ABC News. Cuba Gooding Jr. Pleads Guilty to Sex Charges
The plea was conditional. Gooding had to continue the alcohol and behavior modification treatment he had begun in 2019 for another six months and avoid any new arrests. If he complied, the misdemeanor plea could be withdrawn and replaced with a lesser harassment violation. If he did not, the misdemeanor conviction would stand and he could face up to a year in jail.9The New York Times. Cuba Gooding Jr. Guilty
He met the terms. On October 13, 2022, prosecutor Coleen Balbert told the court she had received “positive reports” from Gooding’s therapist.11New York Post. Cuba Gooding Jr. Avoids Jail in NYC Sex Abuse Case Judge Farber allowed him to withdraw the misdemeanor plea and enter one for second-degree harassment, a noncriminal violation. Gooding was sentenced to time served and no jail time, and the downgrade effectively removed the misdemeanor from his record.12Hollywood Reporter. Cuba Gooding Jr. No Jail Time Guilty Plea Forcible Touching Case Asked by the judge to explain his conduct, Gooding said, “I kissed a waitress, your honor.”13KY3. No Jail Time for Cuba Gooding Jr. in Forcible Touching Case
Civil Lawsuits After the Criminal Case
The criminal resolution did not end Gooding’s legal exposure. A separate federal suit brought by a woman identified as “Jane Doe” accused him of raping her twice in a SoHo hotel room in 2013 and sought $6 million under New York City’s Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law.14Deadline. Cuba Gooding Jr. Rape Lawsuit Jane Doe Gooding’s lawyers said the encounter was consensual. U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty ruled three other accusers could testify at trial, finding their accounts “sufficiently similar.”15Good Morning America. Cuba Gooding Jr. Civil Trial The case settled on June 6, 2023, the day jury selection was to begin. Terms were not disclosed, though reporting indicated Gooding paid a “considerable sum.”
In November 2023, two of the three women whose allegations formed the criminal indictment filed their own civil suits in Manhattan under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which temporarily reopened the window for otherwise time-barred claims. Jasmine Abbay alleged Gooding forcibly kissed her at LAVO in September 2018, and Kelsey Harbert alleged he groped her at the Magic Hour bar in June 2019.16NBC News. Cuba Gooding Jr. Faces 2 Sexual Assault Lawsuits in New York Both complaints incorporated criminal-case transcripts, including a hearing in which Gooding admitted to “non-consensual physical contact.” Their attorney, Gloria Allred, said her clients “were deprived of the justice they sought in the criminal case” and were now seeking accountability civilly.17Deadline. Cuba Gooding Jr. Lawsuit Sexual Assault Gloria Allred
Gooding did not participate in Harbert’s lawsuit after being served in May 2024. In October 2025, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Richard Latin entered a default judgment of $329,750 against him, including $200,000 in punitive damages.18New York Daily News. Cuba Gooding Jr. Ordered to Pay More Than $300K to Woman He Was Accused of Groping at NYC Bar
The Diddy-Related Lawsuit
Gooding was added as a co-defendant in March 2024 to a $30 million federal lawsuit that music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones had originally filed against Sean “Diddy” Combs. Jones alleged that in January 2023, aboard a yacht rented by Combs in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Gooding sexually assaulted him by fondling his legs, inner thighs, and the small of his back near his buttocks. The suit, in the Southern District of New York, also alleged violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.19Los Angeles Times. Cuba Gooding Jr. Diddy Lawsuit Gooding has not been criminally charged in connection with the allegation. As of June 2026, a discovery dispute was ongoing, with Combs’ legal team opposing Jones’ request for documents related to Gooding and calling the effort “abusive and improper.”20New York Daily News. Sean Diddy Combs Slams Accuser Information Seeking Cuba Gooding Jr.