Bill Cosby has been slapped with 5 new sexual assault allegations. What's new in them?
American comedian Bill Cosby is now facing five new sexual assault accusations that allegedly took place in the late 60s and through the 90s. The five women suing Cosby have also filed a lawsuit against NBCUniversal and two other entities for allowing the assault and other forced sexual acts to happen.
The lawsuit also named Kaufman Astoria Studios Inc and The Carsey-Werner Company in the case. The Cosby Show (1984 to 1992) was aired on NBC, filmed at the studios now operated by Kaufman Astoria and produced by The Carsey-Werner Company.
The complaint read:
*TRIGGER WARNING - DETAILS OF ASSAULT*
What: Five women sued Cosby and NBCUniversal on Monday, December 5 in New York for sexual assault.
- Cindra Ladd, Lili Bernard, Eden Tirl, Jewel Gittens, and Jennifer Thompson, filed the NY lawsuit under the Adult Survivors Act.
- Cindra Ladd, a former Hollywood executive, accused Cosby of raping her in 1969.
- The other four women alleged sexual assault in the late 1980s during the time when The Cosby Show was running on NBC and Bill Cosby, as a result, was at the height of his fame.
- Lili Bernard was a guest star on an episode of The Cosby Show in 1992, when she alleged that Bill Cosby drugged and raped her several times, according to TMZ. She also claimed that Cosby tried to smother her with a pillow when during one of the assaults she woke up to find him raping her.
- Eden Tirl, who starred as a cop on the show Cosby, said that she was "escorted" by an employee at the set to Bill Cosby's dressing room, where he locked the door and assaulted her.
- Jewel Gittens claimed that Cosby assaulted her with his finger after drugging her at his Manhattan apartment around the late 1980s.
- Jennifer Thompson alleged that in late 1980s, Cosby forced her to "masturbate him without her consent" at his Manhattan home.
- All the above details with the names of the victims are mentioned in the complaint according to NBC.
- A spokesperson for Bill Cosby, Andrew Wyatt, called the lawsuit "frivolous".
- Cosby denies all the allegations.
Bill Cosby and sexual assault cases: The name Bill Cosby encapsulates the rape culture that plagued Hollywood from the mid-20th century to the end of it. It wasn't just about the perpetrator, it was about the entire system around them that turned a blind eye or even aided the assaults.
- ScreenRant estimates there are more than 60 sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby. He was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault in 2018 and sent to prison. However, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned Cosby's conviction and he walked out of jail after three years in prison.
- Cosby was also asked to pay $500,000 (Rs 4.1 crore) in damages to Judy Huth, who accused the comedian of assaulting her when she was a minor.
The difference between older accusations and the new ones is that the new lawsuit also holds the system that allowed the assault to go on - in this case, NBCUniversal which aired The Cosby Show - responsible.