Before 2014, actor and comedian Bill Cosby was beloved for being America’s Dad. What the world has learned of him since has tarnished any reverence for the disgraced artist. More than 60 women have accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault. It's likely there are many more women who have chosen to remain silent out of fear.
A new wrinkle in this ongoing saga is that nine women in Nevada are suing him for alleged assaults. This lawsuit was made possible by a new Nevada law called SB129, which was signed on May 31, 2023, by Governor Joe Lombardo, eliminating the statute of limitations for sexual abuse cases involving adults. The women filed their lawsuit on June 14.
The nine women in the lawsuit are Janice Dickinson, Lise-Lotte Lublin, Janice Baker Kinney, Lili Bernard, Heidi Thomas, Linda Kirkpatrick, Rebecca Cooper, Pam Joy Abeyta, and Angela Leslie. They collectively accuse Cosby of using his power and fame to offer mentorship to each one of them. Instead, they allege that he got each of them alone and sexually assaulted them. The alleged incidents all happened separately but are eerily similar.
Cosby has maintained his innocence through his many accusations. In 2019, he was convicted of sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, but it was overturned on a technicality in 2021. He was found civilly liable in 2022 for molesting then 16-year-old Judy Huth in 1975 at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles in 1975.
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Cosby spokesperson Andrew Wyatt talked about the Nevada lawsuit on Cosby’s behalf. He believes the women are addicted “to massive amounts of media attention and greed.” He went on to vow, “From this day forward, we will not continue to allow these women to parade various accounts … against Mr. Cosby anymore without vetting them in the court of public opinion and inside of the courtroom.”
Lise-Lotte Lublin accuses Cosby of drugging and raping her in 1989 in Las Vegas. She believed she was meeting him to work on improv. Cosby gave her two drinks to help her relax, but the drinks instead left her feeling out of it. Cosby allegedly used this to his advantage and held her wrists between his legs as he pleasured himself. Shortly after, he dragged her into the bedroom and assaulted her.
Janice Baker Kinney believed she was going to a party at Cosby’s home, but he was the only one present when she arrived. She believes Cosby gave her barbiturates, and she became unconscious as a result. She recounts waking up naked in bed with him groping her.
Heidi Thomas believed Cosby was going to help her acting career. She flew to have an in-person coaching session with him. She performed a scene portraying a drunk character, and Cosby suggested having a drink to make her performance more truthful. She alleges she woke up to him assaulting her.
According to the lawsuit, Lili Bernard also believed Cosby would mentor her. She believed she was getting a meeting with the producers of the sticom A Different World in 1990. She traveled to Las Vegas for it and met with Cosby to prepare. Cosby offered her sparkling cider, and she woke up naked. She told him she did not want to have sex but could do nothing to stop him because of the drugs.
The five remaining women in this lawsuit tell similar heartbreaking stories of sexual assault. Cosby’s legal troubles are not limited to Nevada, as he also is being sued in California by Victoria Valentino. Her alleged assault dates back to 1969.
