Nine more women launch legal cases

Nine more women are suing disgraced comedian Bill Cosby saying he drugged and sexually assaulted them.

Some of the claimants have previously made public accusations against  the 85-year-old including Lili Bernard, a former Cosby Show guest star, and model Janice Dickinson.

They are bringing the case in Nevada, which has recently lifted its two-year statute of limitations for sexual abuse cases involving adults. The alleged assaults happened between 1979 and 1992.

Cosby's spokesman told the BBC the women were motivated by an ‘addiction to massive amounts of media attention and greed’ – while they say the comic used his ‘enormous power, fame and prestige’ to get away with abuse.

Cosby has faced a volley of court cases in the past five years, starting in 2018, when he was jailed for drugging and molesting a woman, but that conviction was overturned on a technicality in 2021.

Last June, a jury in a civil trial decided he sexually assaulted a teenager in 1975, and awarded her $500,000 (£400,000) in damages.

In total, more than 60 women have made allegations against him.

Published: 15 Jun 2023