Bill Cosby
Ex-colleague Lili Bernard files a rape lawsuit
Bill Cosby immediately upon his release in June 2021.
© imago / ZUMA Wire
Now Bill Cosby is threatened with jail again: Lili Bernard filed a new rape lawsuit against the entertainer and actor.
Does actor Bill Cosby (84) have to go back to prison soon? His former colleague Lili Bernard (57) filed at least one new criminal lawsuit against Cosby on Thursday, according to CNN. The allegation: he drugged her in Atlantic City in August 1980 and then raped her. The complaint states that Bernard Cosby first met on the set of “The Bill Cosby Show” and that he wanted to be her mentor on acting issues. The actress appeared on the series as Mrs. Minifield, a pregnant patient of Cosby’s series character Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable.
He had promised her that he would organize a leading role for her if she “worked hard and followed his instructions”. During a joint voice exercise, Cosby first touched her breasts forcibly and without her permission and squeezed them. About a month later, the said rape occurred in a hotel. Cosby had led her to travel together by promising her a meeting with an important producer.
A spokesman for Cosby’s lawyers has already responded to the lawsuit in a statement. It is another attempt to legally substantiate alleged allegations. There is not a single evidence, no facts that would support the act. “Mr. Cosby remains convinced of his innocence and will vigorously defend himself against any allegation,” said his spokesman. In addition, the act is now statute-barred.
There may be no statute of limitations
His client is ready to “take this fight to the highest court in the United States of America”. Bernhard’s allegations are anything but new: the New Jersey prosecutor’s office investigated this case as early as 2015, but closed the case. However, the fact that the authorities were investigating at the time could override the statute of limitations. Cosby was sentenced to up to ten years in prison in September 2018. The competent court found it proven that he drugged and raped three other women.
On June 30, 2021, the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court overturned the conviction and released Cosby. Reason for release: In a 2005 civil case, a prosecutor promised Cosby not to pursue criminal proceedings if a confession was made. At the time, the entertainer admitted to giving women “different pills”. Only the successor of the then official rejected the promise and initiated criminal proceedings in which his statements at the time were used against him.