Judge allows Cuba Gooding Jr. groping case to go forward

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City judge has rejected actor Cuba Gooding Jr.'s request to have his groping case thrown out.

Judge Phyllis Chu said in a written ruling this week that conflicting accounts of the accusations against Gooding should be resolved at a trial.

The Oscar-winning "Jerry Maguire" star is accused of squeezing a woman's breast without her consent at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge near Times Square on June 9.

The defense had filed papers saying the misdemeanor forcible touching case should be dismissed based on accounts of two witnesses who say it never happened. The papers also say video from the bar back up that claim.

Gooding attorney Mark Heller said in a statement today he expects his client to be exonerated.