Bill Cosby faces new lawsuits as 5 women, including 2 ‘Cosby Show’ actors, accuse him of sexual assault
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Disgraced comedian Bill Cosby now faces new lawsuits from five women, all of whom had previously accused him. In a 34-page statement of claim filed December 5 in the New York Supreme Court, Eden Tirl, Jewel Gittens, Jennifer Thompson, Lili Bernard, and Cindra Ladd describe themselves as alleged victims. The women accuse Cosby of "sexual assault, sexual battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress" and other charges. Cosby is also accused of drugging, raping, and sexually assaulting several women over several years.
As per the document filed with the court, the incident occurred between the late 1960s and the 1990s, and some of them were on the set of 'The Cosby Show' (Tirl and Bernard are actresses who starred in the show). The victims have decided to sue three entertainment studios that worked with him on 'The Cosby Show,' namely NBC Universal, Kaufman Astoria Studios, and the Carsey-Werner Company. The lawsuit alleges that these companies and their respective employees supported the comedian and failed to intervene when Cosby reportedly abused a number of women on the set of the show. "They failed to protect the women on The Cosby Show," the suit alleges.
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"We brought the claims against the three corporate entities because they all knew what was happening," Jordan Rutsky, the alleged victims' lawyer, told People. "Still [these companies] did not stop Bill Cosby from abusing women and abusing his power. He used their facilities and their staff to get access to ... these women." Rutsky highlighted how Tirl’s claims reflect the studios' involvement in downplaying Cosby’s alleged crimes, "Eden Tirl actually sought help from people at 'The Cosby Show,'" he adds. "She was repeatedly asked to have lunch with Cosby in his dressing room [but didn't want to go]. She was repeatedly told, 'Just go! Just go have lunch with him]," Rutsky says. (In the complaint, this is described as happening on at least four separate occasions.)
Andrew Wyatt, Cosby's spokesperson, titled the new complaint "a frivolous civil lawsuit" and added, "...This isn't about justice for victims of alleged sexual assault, it's all about money." On the contrary, Rutsky said, "The goal now is for accountability. That's what this case is about. We felt it important to find some sort of justice."
At least, 60 women have gone on record and accused Cosby of drugging and sexually assaulting them over the years. The 85-year-old actor was exonerated from his previous sexual assault case in 2021 and was released from Pennsylvania prison. Currently, Cosby is a free man.