Bill Cosby is being sued over yet another alleged sexual assault.
TMZ reports that a woman accused the man of giving her two pills before he forced himself on her.
The latest lawsuit comes from former Playboy model Victoria Valentino. Valentino claims Cosby drugged and raped her in 1969. The lawsuit itself is the first in California under a new law that temporarily lifts the statute of limitations for civil sexual assault cases. The law provides that accusers who allege they were sexually assaulted have one year (ending this year) to seek compensation – regardless of when the offenses took place.
According to the lawsuit, Valentino alleges she met Cosby in his studio trailer after an audition and told him about the recent death of her six-year-old son. The two later met again at a restaurant in Los Angeles. Valentino claims Cosby saw her crying at a table and then offered to pay for a spa treatment and dinner for the woman and her friend.
However, it went differently, claims Valentino. She claims Cosby put pills next to her drinks at dinner and claims it made them feel better. Cosby then pretended to take one himself. It was hard to stay awake after taking the pills, Valentino claims, and Cosby offered to drive the couple home. Instead, he drove her to his office, where the sexual assault took place.
Cosby’s rep Andrew Wyatt denies the claims, calling the move a target of “every black successful man in America.”
In addition to Cosby, Valentino is also suing between one and 20 unnamed people (via The Washington Post). These include Cosby’s agents, servants, and other employees who she claims facilitated Cosby’s attack. Valentino is no stranger to speaking out against Cosby, having first spoken publicly about their story in 2014. That same year, countless other women made similar allegations against Cosby.
After the litany of allegations in 2014, Cosby pretty much stayed out of the spotlight. In 2018, he was convicted of aggravated indecent assault and remained jailed until the conviction was overturned in 2021. This was related to violations of Cosby’s due process rights under the 5th and 14th Amendments.