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1 year ago
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Bill Cosby is being sued for sexual assault by an actress and comedy writer who claims he raped her twice in the 1970s.
Joan Tarshis alleges the Cosby Show star gave her drinks that made her 'dizzy' and 'pass out' before he attacked her.
She says she met the actor through a mutual friend at the age of 19 when he invited her to his studio for a private writing session.
But once she was back at his bungalow, the star handed her a drink which caused her to lose consciousness, according to her lawsuit obtained by TMZ.
Tarshis says she then awoke to Cosby undressing her and tried to fight him off before he orally raped her.
Bill Cosby is being sued once again for sexual assault by an actress and comedy writer who claims she was raped twice in the 1970s
Joan Tarshis says she was just 19 when she met Cosby, who allegedly handed her drinks which made her pass out before he attacked her
Tarshis said the first rape took place after she was invited for a one-on-one writing session at the comic's studio bungalow
The second alleged incident took place a year later after she reluctantly agreed to attend a music fair with him.
Again Tarshis claims she was handed a drink which left her feeling 'weak' and caused her to pass out.
When she awoke she was naked and felt like she had been raped again, according to her filings.
She is now seeking unspecified damages for assault, battery, infliction of emotional distress and false imprisonment.
Tarshis previously spoke about her encounters with Cosby in an awkward interview with CNN's Don Lemon, in which the host suggested there were ways 'not to perform oral sex'.
The interview came out in 2014 in the wake of a slew of similar allegations against Cosby.
The sitcom dad has been accused of attacking more than 60 women over the years, with some of his alleged victims claiming they were minors at the time.
The alleged offences date back to the 1960s, meaning many had passed the statute of limitations for criminal prosecutions.
The second alleged attack took place after the two attended a music fair together. Tarshis claims she awoke naked and could feel she had been raped
The legal action comes eight years after the actress first went public with her allegations against Cosby and follows similar accusations by dozens of other women
But Cosby was initially convicted over claims made by Andrea Constand who alleged the comic drugged and raped her at his Philadelphia home in 2004.
His first trial ended in a mistrial after jurors could not reach a verdict, however he was ultimately sentenced to three to ten years in jail, despite maintaining that the encounter was consensual.
But his conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court after just three years served.
The 86-year-old has also faced a slew of civil lawsuits and been ordered to pay out hundreds of thousands in compensation to victims.
In December 2022, five women, including two actors who appeared on The Cosby Show, filed a lawsuit in New York accusing Cosby of sexually assaulting them.
The suit was filed under New York's Adult Survivors Act, which took effect on Thanksgiving and gives adult survivors of sexual assault a one-year window to sue their abusers even if the statute of limitations on their claims has expired.
The plaintiffs named the actor, Kaufman Astoria Studios Inc., The Carsey-Werner Company and NBCUniversal Media as defendants in the 34-page lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.
The Cosby Show, which ran from 1984 to 1992 on NBC, was filmed at studios now controlled by Kaufman Astoria and produced by Carsey-Werner, according to the civil action.
Cosby was initially convicted of the 2004 rape of Andrea Constand who claimed she was drugged and assaulted at the star's Philadelphia home, however the conviction was later overturned
Cosby has been sued by multiple other women in civil court and been forced to pay out hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages
All the defendants are 'culpable and liable because they knew and/or should have known that Bill Cosby was sexually abusing, assaulting, and/or battering women, including on their premises, but did nothing to stop it,' according to the complaint.
Cosby's spokesman Andrew Wyatt dismissed the case as 'frivolous'.
'We believe that the courts as well as the court of public opinion will follow the rules of law and relieve Mr. Cosby of these alleged accusations,' Wyatt said in a statement.
'Mr. Cosby continues to vehemently deny all allegations waged against him and looks forward to defending himself in court.'
Other high profile figures who claimed to have been assaulted in a similar manner were supermodel Janice Dickinson and former Playboy bunny P.J. Masten.
Meanwhile last year, Judy Huth was awarded $500,000 in damages by an LA court which found Cosby raped her at the Playboy mansion in 1975 when she was 16-years-old.
Cosby's accusers claim he hid behind his status as America's Dad on the beloved sitcom.
He has always maintained his innocence but did admit to obtaining Quaaludes, sedative drug, to have sex with women in his deposition.
The comic has rarely been seen since he was released from prison in 2021.
But he sparked outrage again after he unveiled plans for a comedy tour following his release, however confirmed dates are yet to materialize.
Cosby's rep declined to comment on the Tarshis lawsuit.
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