Cuba Gooding Jr. pleads not guilty to sex misconduct claims

Cuba Gooding Jr. has pleaded not guilty to an indictment alleging two instances of sexual misconduct.

Gooding appeared Tuesday before a judge in New York City and was released on his own recognizance.

0:30 Cuba Gooding Jr. leaves NYC court after new charge revealed in groping case

The new charge involves an alleged incident in October 2018. The defence paints it as a shakedown attempt.

READ MORE: Cuba Gooding Jr. faces ‘additional incident’ charge in groping case

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The 51-year-old Jerry Maguire star was previously accused of groping a woman’s breast at a bar on June 9. The woman told police she believed Gooding was intoxicated.

2:34 Cuba Gooding Jr. reports to police, charged in New York alleged groping incident

The defence has said there are two witnesses who say it never happened and a bar video that backs up that claim.

Prosecutors are also seeking to bring in other accusers who’ve come forward to bolster their case.

Gooding’s lawyer Mark Heller said outside court that he is “shocked, outraged and absolutely dumbfounded.”