Gooding admitted to kissing the woman, a nightclub waitress, on the lips without her consent. He also acknowledged two other incidents of non-harmonic communication in October 2018 and June 2019.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Gooding is scheduled to continue treatment with alcohol and behavior modification for six months and has no new arrests. After that time, he can plead again about the harassment.
If he succeeds in following the terms and pleads for the lower charge, Gooding could face a penalty for the time served. If he does not comply with the conditions, he could face up to one year in prison.
“Cuba Gooding Jr. has entered a new case under which his case will be adjudicated within six months with violation, which is not a crime, and does not result in a criminal record,” Gooding’s attorney, Peter Tombikis, said in a statement. CNN.
He had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Gooding’s trial was scheduled to begin in April 2020 but has been postponed due to the shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Assistant District Attorney Colin Balbert said in court on Wednesday that Gooding had been advising since September 2019 to address the conduct he engaged in and to ensure he did not commit his crime again.
revision: An earlier version of this story mischaracterized the terms of the plea agreement.
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