The 'A Few Good Men' star is set to face trial on sex crimes charges in February 2022 as a judge denies his lawyer's request to wait until May to hold the trial.
- Oct 19, 2021
AceShowbiz - Cuba Gooding Jr.'s trial on sex crimes charges has finally got a date, more than two years after his arrest. The Academy Award-winning actor is set to stand trial on February 1, 2022 for allegedly groping three women in separate incidents.
A Manhattan judge set the date on Monday, October 18. Cuba was present in court during the ruling, wearing a dark gray suit with matching tie, sunglasses and a black mask. He was accompanied by his lawyer Peter Toumbekis, who had pushed to delay the in-person trial until May, arguing that he has other cases that are older.
Justice Curtis Farber denied the request, stating, "This case has been on my calendar for two years, going on three years. This is a firm trial date and it has to go." To the judge's order, the attorney responded, "I'll make it work."
Cuba remained silent during the hearing and declined to speak with reporters. He covertly left the building via a back exit. The 53-year-old is charged with six misdemeanor counts of sexual abuse and forcible touching stemming from the allegations of three accusers.
"The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story" star was first arrested in June 2019 after allegedly squeezing a 30-year-old woman’s breast at the Moxy Hotel in Times Square. He was also charged with pinching the behind of TAO Downtown server Natasha Ashworth in October 2018 and subjecting a woman to "sexual contact without consent" at LAVO Nightclub on the Upper East Side.
Cuba has pleaded not guilty to the three separate alleged incidents. If convicted of the top count, he faces up to one year behind bars. His criminal defence attorney Mark Heller previously brushed off the accusations, declaring, "The claim is baseless and the judgment is worthless."
More than 30 women have since come forward with several allegations against the "Jerry Maguire" actor.
