Cuba Gooding Jr. Pleads Guilty to Forcible Touching After Kissing N.Y.C. Waitress Without Consent

Photo: Alec Tabak/AP/Shutterstock In the Oscar winner’s guilty plea, Gooding, 54, admitted that he “kissed the waitress on her lips” inside the LAVO New York restaurant and nightclub without consent. The plea deal, made Wednesday, is for no jail time, according to theAssociated PressandThe New York Times. Additionally, provided he attends six months of counseling, he can instead plead guilty to harassment at a lower level than misdemeanor. “I apologize for ever making anybody feel inappropriately touched,” Gooding told the courtroom, per theTimes.

Cuba Gooding Jr. Settles Rape Accusation Lawsuit Minutes Before Trial Was Set to Begin

Cuba Gooding Jr.has settled a 2020 lawsuit brought against him, in whichhe was accused of rapeseven years previous. A calendar entry in the official court record read, “TRIAL OFF” and “Reason for cancellation (on consent): the parties have resolved the matter.” The woman, who has remained anonymous, would have been required to reveal her identity at the trial, with theAssociated Pressreporting that Judge Paul A. Crotty made that ruling last week.

Cuba Gooding Jr. Turns Himself in to Police for a Second Time on New Charge: Report

Cuba Gooding Jr. is dealing with ramifications of new sexual assault allegations being made against him. Heller did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. Nicholas Hunt/Getty “Reportedly, there have been three additional ladies claiming sexual misconduct on Cuba’s part, one going as far back as 2008. None of those is credible,” Heller said. “They certainly won’t be incorporated into the indictment for which we’ll appear in court tomorrow.”

Cuba Gooding Jr., Accused of Groping Woman in N.Y.C. Bar, Turns Himself in to Police

Photo: Dave Allocca/Starpix/Shutterstock Cuba Gooding Jr.turned himself in to the New York Police Department on Thursday, the NYPD confirms, following allegations thathe groped a womanat a rooftop bar in Manhattan over the weekend. He was arrested and faces a charge of forcible touching, a misdemeanor, in connection with the incident on Sunday. He is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon. According to theNew York Times, a woman told police that the 51-year-old Oscar-winning actor touched her breasts at the Magic Hour Rooftop Bar and Lounge on 7th Avenue in Manhattan.

Cuban Bandleader and Timba Pioneer José Luis Cortés Dead at 70 After 'Hemorrhagic Encephalic Accident'

José Luis Cortés.Photo: Jack Vartoogian/Getty José Luis “El Tosco” Cortés, controversial famed Cuban bandleader, flutist, and pioneer of the timba genre, has died. He was 70. The musician, who founded the musical group NG La Banda and performed with bands Irakere and Los Van Van, died on April 18 in Havana after “a hemorrhagic encephalic accident,” according tothe Instituto Cubano de la Música’s Facebook page. “Born in the neighborhood of El Condado, in the city of Santa Clara, he graduated from the flute specialty at the National School of Art and stood out, from a very young age, for his virtuosity as an instrumentalist and orchestrator and for his leadership capacity among the union colleagues,” read the organization’s note, translated from Spanish, posted the day of Cortés' death.