Cuba Gooding Jr. Accused of Sexual Assault by Blogger Claudia Oshry When She Was 16
Cuba Gooding Jr. is facing a new allegation of sexual assault.
Blogger Claudia Oshry claimed she was touched inappropriately by the 51-year-old actor when she was 16 in The Morning Toast podcast last week.
“All I have to say is #MeToo. I feel so weird about it because at the end of the day I don’t know if I’ve ever considered myself a victim of sexual assault because I’m not, I would never compare myself to them,” Oshry, 24, said. “But yes when I was in high school — I was f—— 16 years old — Cuba Gooding Jr. put his finger up my butt and I felt wild.”
Gooding’s attorney Mark Heller denied the allegation, telling PEOPLE, “Mr. Gooding told me such an event never happened. He doesn’t know this individual.”
Oshry, who rose to fame from her social media account Girl With No Job, has included her experience in her Dirty Jeans Tour, saying, “And now, it’s just become, like, a part of who I am. It’s a part of my story.”
“Now I use it as a shtick in my show on tour. Like, you really want to put a finger up my butt? Without my consent? Fine, but I’m going to use it for all that it’s worth,” she added.
The Oscar-winning actor turned himself into police last week after he was accused of groping a woman in a New York City bar.
According to The New York Times, a woman told police that the actor touched her breasts at the Magic Hour Rooftop Bar and Lounge on 7th Avenue in Manhattan.
Gooding was arraigned and charged with forcible touching and sexual abuse in the third degree. He pleaded not guilty to both.
RELATED: Cuba Gooding Jr. Leaves Court Smiling After Pleading Not Guilty to Sexual Abuse Charge
A law enforcement official told the Times that investigators found security camera footage that allegedly verified the woman’s allegations.
Gooding’s attorney Mark J. Heller said he has viewed surveillance footage of the “entire event” and “there was not a drop of criminal conduct or inappropriate activity on his part.”
“I know the video, which covered the entire evening, shows absolutely no conduct or any inappropriateness on Cuba’s part,” he told PEOPLE. “And I am frankly shocked the prosecutor would consider a case like this.”
Heller said he plans to “vigorously defend” the Boyz n the Hood actor.
RELATED: Cuba Gooding Jr., Accused of Groping Woman in N.Y.C. Bar, Turns Himself in to Police
“I have known Cuba for almost 30 years and his conduct towards women is always respectful,” he said. “He respects women and he would never engage in that type of activity.”
In a video posted by TMZ, Gooding denied any inappropriate conduct and said he trusts the legal system.
“I trust the system, let the process speak for itself,” he said. “There’s a tape that shows what really happened.”
