Actress Lili Bernard has reportedly sued Bill Cosby alleging that the disgraced comedian drugged and raped her in New Jersey 31 years ago, US court documents show, Oyogist.com reports.
Lili Bernard said Cosby lured her to the Trump Taj Mahal casino resort in Atlantic City around August 1990 on the pretext of meeting a producer he said could help advance her career.
Once in a suite at the hotel, Cosby made her a supposedly non-alcoholic drink and after consuming the beverage, Bernard said she vomited and lost consciousness.
She later woke to find Cosby raping her, according to the lawsuit filed Thursday.Bernard said she lost consciousness again and found herself “naked and alone in an empty bathtub or jacuzzi in the bathroom.
“The next morning Cosby handed Bernard money and walked her to a waiting car which drove her back to New York, the suit says.
Cosby also “sexually assaulted, battered and drugged” Bernard “on additional occasions,” and threatened to sue her for defamation if she went to the police, according to the court filing.
Bernard said she suffered psychological, mental and physical trauma and is seeking $125 million in damages.
Andrew Wyatt, Cosby’s spokesman, said in a statement Thursday: “This is just another attempt to abuse the legal process, by opening up the flood gates for people, who never presented an ounce of evidence, proof, truth and/or facts, in order to substantiate their alleged allegations.”
“Mr. Cosby continues to maintain steadfast in his innocence and will vigorously fight ANY alleged allegations waged against him and is willing and able to take this fight to the highest court in these United States of America,” Wyatt said.
Wyatt added that in July 2015, “the New Jersey Prosecutor terminated the investigation against Mr. Cosby and decided not to move forward with Lili Bernard claims,” adding that the allegations were “far beyond the statute of limitations.”
Bernard, who has previously accused Cosby of assault, spoke outside the courthouse when he was found guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault in April 2018 for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, another accuser, at his Pennsylvania home.
Documents dating back to 2005 from a civil lawsuit filed by Constand show Cosby has admitted to acquiring prescription Quaaludes to give to women he wanted to have sex with. However, he has not admitted to actually drugging any of his accusers.
Cosby’s publicist at the time the documents were made public declined to comment. Constand and Cosby, who did not admit to wrongdoing, agreed to a civil settlement in 2006.
Cosby’s criminal conviction was overturned in June and he was released from prison after Pennsylvania’s highest court said the disgraced actor’s due process rights were violated.
Cosby, who is best known for his role as Dr. Cliff Huxtable on the classic television series ‘The Cosby Show,’ has been accused of sexual assault by more than three dozen women, the 77-year-old has never been charged for any of the allegations.
Last week, three other women broke their silence, accusing the man of sexually assault. Cosby’s attorney has previously dismissed similar allegations against the comedian by other women describing them as ‘discredited’ and ‘defamatory.’
