Cuba Gooding Jr. avoids jail time after complying with plea deal in forcible touching case - CNN

CNN  — 

Cuba Gooding Jr. volition not look immoderate jailhouse clip aft complying with the presumption of a plea statement successful a forcible touching case, according to Emily Tuttle, spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.

Gooding antecedently pleaded blameworthy successful April to a misdemeanor complaint of forcibly touching a pistillate astatine a New York City nightclub successful 2018. Gooding admitted to kissing the woman, a waitress astatine the club, connected her lips without consent. He besides admitted to 2 different incidents of non-consensual interaction successful October 2018 and June 2019.

Under the presumption of the plea agreement, Gooding was required to proceed intoxicant and behaviour modification attraction for six months and person nary caller arrests. On Thursday, Gooding pleaded blameworthy to a lesser harassment usurpation that volition ever stay connected his record, but nary transgression charges volition remain. He was sentenced to clip served and volition not service immoderate jailhouse sentence, Tuttle confirmed.

CNN has reached retired to Gooding’s attorney, Peter Toumbekis, for comment.

When the plea statement was announced successful April, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Coleen Balbert said their bureau believed the statement was “fair and equitable.”

“I would conscionable similar to accidental that we afloat recognition and judge each of the survivors successful this lawsuit and convey each of the women and different witnesses who cooperated with our bureau during the pendency of our investigation,” Balbert said astatine the time. She besides noted that Gooding had been successful counseling since September 2019, and said that the plea statement would spare accusers from having to attest publically and would let them to marque unfortunate interaction statements if they chose to.

One of Gooding’s accusers, Kelsey Harbert, spoke extracurricular tribunal aft Thursday’s hearing, telling reporters that the actor’s actions “tug astatine [her] consciousness of bid each azygous day.”

“At what constituent are we going to instrumentality this seriously? When volition we determine that this is unsafe behavior? And erstwhile is it the court’s work to support the nationalist from idiosyncratic similar him?” Harbert asked. “The strategy is expected to beryllium astir what helium did. Not who helium is.”

Gloria Allred, Harbert’s attorney, said she volition sermon with Harbert whether to prosecute a civilian suit against Gooding, but said nary determination volition beryllium made Thursday.

CNN’s Tanika Gray contributed to this report.