Cuba Gooding Jr.’s sex abuse court trial has been pushed back a month, on Tuesday, September 3, 2019, in Manhattan court.
Gooding Jr. appeared calm and relaxed when he stood before Criminal Court Judge Herbert Moses, his defense attorneys by his side.
Assistant DA Jenna Long said that she spoke with the defense team, and it was agreed that starting on Tuesday was not suitable for either side. However, Peter Toumbekis objected and said they were ready to proceed to trial.
Gooding Jr., 51, was charged because a woman claims he squeezed her breast on June 9, at the Magic Hour Rooftop Bar and Lounge. He is being charged with misdemeanor forcible touching and sexual abuse. Gooding Jr. “staunchly” denied all allegations.
Long claims Gooding Jr.’s defense attorneys stopped responding to her emails when it came time to pick and new trial date. Toumbekis replied, “I called ADA Long last week…her only response to me was after five o’clock to say to me that she didn’t appreciate getting so many phone calls” Long continued, stating that she was still waiting on records that were subpoenaed, including materials that needed to be turned over to the defense for trial.
The judge attempted to defuse the issue by telling Gooding Jr.’s lawyers, “In order to protect his rights we want to make sure he has all the discovery he’s entitled to and that takes time.”
Prosecutors were asked to provide the details of the missing materials they were waiting on, and the judge suggested it be discussed outside the courtroom.
The trial was adjourned to Oct. 10.
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Image Courtesy of Pedro Santos’ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
