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Tag: Bill Cosby

  • Singer Morganne Picard files fresh lawsuit against Bill Cosby

    Singer Morganne Picard files fresh lawsuit against Bill Cosby

    A new lawsuit has been filed against Bill Cosby by a singer who claims that the comedian drugged and assaulted her in the late 1980s. 

    According to court papers filed under the Adult Survivors Act and obtained by PEOPLE, the plaintiff, Morganne Picard, claims that Cosby invited her, a wannabe musician, to the set of The Cosby Show in 1987. She alleges that on “multiple occasions” between 1987 and 1990, Cosby “insisted and encouraged” her to consume drinks that made her feel “extremely intoxicated.”

    Picard further asserted that, after consuming a drink provided by Cosby at his residence, she experienced a blackout and was sexually assaulted. She recounted regaining consciousness in a hotel room, unclothed, with discomfort in her vaginal area.

    “Upon information and belief, when Ms. Picard was physically incapacitated by the unknown intoxicant, Cosby undressed and raped her, without her consent and when she did not have the capacity to consent,” the lawsuit alleged.

    The document also named Kaufman Astoria Studios, Astoria Studios LP II, the Carsey-Warner Company and NBCUniversal as defendants, as they did “not investigate, reprimand, supervise nor in any way try to stop Cosby from sexually abusing, assaulting and/or battering women.”

    Kaufman Astoria Studios, the Carsey-Warner Company and NBCUniversal did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Saturday.

    Astoria Studios LP II, meanwhile, could not be reached for comment.

    Picard is specifically suing Bill Cosby for battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress. She’s suing the other defendants for negligent hiring and negligence.

    “It is disappointing to see that these alleged distractors are able to monetize false allegations against Mr. Cosby,” Andrew Wyatt, a rep for the comedian, said in a statement to PEOPLE.

    Wyatt added: “Mr. Cosby continues to invoke his Constitutional Rights by saying, ‘Not Guilty’ and vehemently denying all of these alleged allegations waged against him.”

    The Adult Survivors Act gives adult victims a window of a year to sue alleged abusers over older sexual crime regardless of the Statute of Limitations. The one-year window for new claims ends on Thanksgiving 2024.

  • New sexual assault lawsuit hits Bill Cosby

    New sexual assault lawsuit hits Bill Cosby

    Former Playboy model Victoria Valentino has filed a new lawsuit against Bill Cosby, accusing him of drugging and sexually assaulting her.

    The lawsuit, filed under a temporary lifting of the statute of limitations in California for sexual assault cases, alleges that the incident occurred in 1969 after Valentino had dinner with Cosby.

    Valentino claims that after ingesting pills provided by Cosby, she and her friend were taken to a nearby office. She alleges that she became unconscious and was sexually assaulted upon waking up.

    It’s worth noting that Cosby’s sexual assault conviction was overturned in 2021, leading to his release from prison. However, this new lawsuit brings forth fresh allegations against him.

    She told Mr Cosby “I want to go home now”, according to the filing, which adds she was “incapable of consent” and physically helpless”.

    Ms Valentino is seeking unspecified damages, court and attorney fees.

    In a statement, Ms Valentino said the trauma the 85-year-old inflicted on her has affected “not only me, but my children and grandchildren”.

    “By breaking my silence and speaking my truth, I hope this serves as my legacy to my family, and shows those survivors who have yet to find their voices, that hope and healing are possible,” she said in the statement shared with US media.

    A representative for Mr Cosby, Andrew Wyatt, told US media outlets Ms Valentino’s claims were “without any proof or facts” and said she had “inconsistencies in her many statements”.

    Once known to millions as “America’s Dad”, Mr Cosby starred in the 1980s hit sitcom The Cosby Show.

    Bill Cosby’s reputation was severely damaged when numerous women came forward with allegations of rape, sexual harassment, and sexual misconduct spanning several decades, starting from the 1960s. Despite the accusations, Cosby has consistently denied any wrongdoing and asserted that all of his sexual encounters were consensual.

    In 2018, he was convicted of aggravated indecent assault against Andrea Constand in Pennsylvania. However, his conviction was later overturned by the state’s highest court, which determined that he should not have been brought to trial due to a previous agreement made with a prosecutor in 2005, in which he was assured that he would not face charges.

    In a separate civil case last year, a California jury found Cosby liable for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old at the Playboy Mansion in 1975. As a result, he was ordered to pay $500,000 in damages.

  • 5 women file fresh sexual assault complaint against Bill Cosby

    Five women who have long accused comedian Bill Cosby of sexually assaulting them earlier in their careers have brought new claims against him.

    TMZ reports the women jointly filed a lawsuit on Monday in New York state court, accusing Cosby of assault, battery, infliction of emotional distress and false imprisonment, while also naming NBCUniversal as complicit to the 85-year-old’s actions.

    The charges were filed under New York’s new Adult Survivors Act, which gives survivors of sexual abuse a one-year window to file complaints that would otherwise be prevented by the statute of limitations.

    The five plaintiffs include actresses Lili Bernard and Eden Tirl, who each appeared on The Cosby Show, as well as Jewel Gittens, Jennifer Thompson, and Cindra Ladd, the last of whom is a former Hollywood executive who previously accused Cosby of raping her in 1969.

    “Each plaintiff was sexually assaulted and battered by defendant Bill Cosby in the same or similar manner when he used his power, fame, and prestige, including the power, fame and prestige given to him by [the] defendants … to misuse his enormous power in such a nefarious, horrific way,” the suit states.

    Lawyer Jordan Rutsky, who represents all five women, said, “It was well-known that Bill Cosby would regularly take young women into his dressing room, and when you read the complaint, you’ll see there were instances where staff saw this happening and even encouraged the plaintiff to submit.”

    The news comes a year and a half after Cosby was freed from prison. He served more than two years of a 3-to-10-year sentence following dozens of women accusing him of rape and sexual assault.

    Cosby’s spokesman Andrew Wyatt has rejected the accusers’ claims, calling the lawsuit “frivolous.”

    “As we have always stated, and now America can see, this isn’t about justice for victims of alleged sexual assault, it’s ALL ABOUT MONEY,” Wyatt stated.

    “We believe that the courts, as well as the court of public opinion, will follow the rules of law and relieve Mr. Cosby of these alleged accusations. Mr. Cosby continues to vehemently deny all allegations waged against him and looks forward to defending himself in court.”

    Source: Complex.com

  • Bill Cosby’s spokesman calls Eddie Murphy a ‘Hollywood slave’

    A spokesman for Bill Cosby has fired back at Eddie Murphy after the comedian made jokes at Cosby’s expense during his opening monologue on Saturday Night Live.

    Murphy compared his current situation to Cosby’s, who’s serving three to 10 years in prison after being found guilty in April 2018 on three counts of aggravated indecent assault for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at his home in 2004. Earlier this month, a Pennsylvania appeals court upheld the conviction.

    “But if you would have told me 30 years ago that I would be this boring, stay-at-home … house dad and Bill Cosby would be in jail,” Murphy said to laughter, “even I would have took that bet.”

    Read:Eddie Murphy is going to be a dad for the 10th time

    “Who is America’s Dad now?” Murphy added, impersonating Cosby’s Cliff Huxtable, the sitcom character who was once often referred to as America’s Dad.

    In a statement released Sunday, Cosby’s spokesman Andrew Wyatt criticized Murphy for the jokes, saying it was Cosby who “broke color barriers in the Entertainment Industry” so that Murphy and other comedians like Dave Chappelle and Kevin Hart could perform.

    Murphy’s jokes were “disparaging,” the statement said, adding, “One would think that Mr. Murphy was given his freedom to leave the plantation, so that he could make his own decisions; but he decided to sell himself back to being a Hollywood Slave.”

    Read:Bill Cosby loses appeal after sexual assault conviction

    Wyatt’s statement then appeared to accuse Murphy of perpetuating racial stereotypes by saying he was “cooning” and comparing him to Stepin Fetchit, the stage name of actor Lincoln Perry, who embodied racist cliches.

    “Remember, Mr. Murphy, that Bill Cosby became legendary because he used comedy to humanize all races, religions and genders; but your attacking Mr. Cosby helps you embark on just becoming click bait,” Wyatt’s statement said.
    “Hopefully, you will be amenable to having a meeting of the minds conversation,” the statement said, “in order to discuss how we can use our collective platforms to enhance Black people rather than bringing all of us down together.”

    CNN has reached out to Murphy’s representatives for comment but has not heard back.

    Source: cnn.com