As more women make assault claims

Venues are cancelling live shows by Bill Cosby as more women come forward to accuse the comedian of sexually assaulting him.

Shows in Las Vegas, Illinois, Arizona, South Carolina and Washington State have been canceled – although a gig in Melbourne, Florida, went ahead last night, with he crowd giving him a standing ovation both at the start and end of the show.

Before the performance, Cosby told the local newspaper he would be continuing not to respond to allegations.

‘I know people are tired of me not saying anything, but a guy doesn't have to answer to innuendos. People should fact check. People shouldn't have to go through that and shouldn't answer to innuendos,’ he told Florida Today.

He also criticised a radio station that offered money and prize to anyone who heckled him, saying that this fostered a ‘frat house mentality’ that could get out of hand.

It comes as three more women came forward to make allegations allegations against the comedian.

Renita Chaney Hill from Pittsburgh claimed he drugged her and sexually assaulted her when she was a 15-year-old aspiring actress in the 1980s; Kristina Ruehli, a 71-year-old grandmother, accused him of attempted sexual assault in 1965; and Florida nurse, Therese Serignese, said Cosby raped her in 1976 when she was 19.

Cosby’s attorney Martin Singer issued a new statement on Friday denying the latest allegations – suggesting they were brought because Cosby was rich, and accusing the media of vilifying his client.

He said: ‘These brand new claims about alleged decades-old events are becoming increasingly ridiculous, and it is completely illogical that so many people would have said nothing, done nothing, and made no reports to law enforcement or asserted civil claims if they thought they had been assaulted over a span of so many years.

‘Lawsuits are filed against people in the public eye every day. here has never been a shortage of lawyers willing to represent people with claims against rich, powerful men, so it makes no sense that not one of these new women who just came forward for the first time now ever asserted a legal claim back at the time they allege they had been sexually assaulted.

‘This situation is an unprecedented example of the media's breakneck rush to run stories without any corroboration or adherence to traditional journalistic standards … It is long past time for this media vilification of Mr. Cosby to stop.’

Cosby has never been charged in connection with any of the allegations. Nor is it likely that he will. In most cases the claims fall outside the statute of limitations, which varies from state to state and stops both civil and criminal cases being brought outside of a given timeframe.

Earlier in the week NBC cancelled a Cosby sitcom in development, and Netflix shelved the airing of his latest stand-up special.

Published: 22 Nov 2014