Bill Cosby: nine women accuse comedian of sexual assault and file lawsuit in Nevada

Nine women have filed a sexual assault lawsuit against former actor and comedian Bill Cosby, accusing him of using his “enormous power, fame, and prestige” as a “pretense to isolate and sexually assault them”.

The lawsuit has been filed in Nevada, just weeks after the state abolished the statute of limitations for civil cases. This means alleged victims no longer have a time limit for filing sexual abuse claims.

Each of the women in the case have alleged that Cosby drugged and assaulted them between approximately 1979 and 1992, in homes, dressing rooms, and hotels.

Cosby has denied the allegations, with his spokesperson claiming the women have been motivated by an “addiction to massive amounts of media attention and greed”.

It is the latest in a string of civil and criminal cases against the now 85-year-old. In 2018, he was jailed for drugging and molesting a woman, but the conviction was overturned on a technicality in 2021.

Cosby was also found civilly liable in 2022 of sexually abusing a woman at the Playboy Mansion in 1975, when she was 16. The jury awarded her $500,000.

Currently, he is facing a similar civil lawsuit in California, filed earlier this month by former Playboy model Victoria Valentino. She has accused Cosby of drugging and raping her in 1969, which he has also denied.

Some of those involved in the latest lawsuit have previously made public accusations against the former star. One of the women, Lise Lotte-Lublin, from Nevada, claimed Cosby drugged and assaulted her at a hotel in Las Vegas in 1989. She said she had met him at his room after he told her he could help her with her acting.

Speaking to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, she said: “For years I have fought for survivors of sexual assault and today is the first time I will be able to fight for myself. With the new law change, I now have the ability to take my assailant Bill Cosby to court. My journey has just begun, but I am grateful for this opportunity to find justice.”

Model Janice Dickinson, another woman involved in the suit in Nevada, has previously testified against Cosby. Speaking after his conviction in 2018, she said: “The rape is etched into my soul. I will never be the same.”

Cosby, who rose to huge fame in the 1980s and 1990s thanks to his sitcom The Cosby Show, has denied wrongdoing. His publicist, Andrew Wyatt, said: “Judges and lawmakers are consistently allowing these civil suits to flood their dockets – knowing that these women are not fighting for victims but for their addiction to massive amounts of media attention and greed.

“We will not continue to allow these women to parade various accounts of an alleged allegation against Mr Cosby any more without vetting them in the court of public opinion and inside of the courtroom.”

If you have been affected by anything discussed in this article, help and support is available. Rape Crisis has a 24-hour helpline which you can call for free on 0808 500 2222, or you can visit their website for more resources and information.