Once beloved Philadelphia native, Bill Cosby, has become embroiled in allegations of sexual abuse, again. Cosby, whose estimated net worth is around $350 Million, has denied any allegations of sexual abuse, and has even filed a lawsuit against his most recent accuser.

Bill Cosby | Photo Source: Wikipedia Commons

Bill Cosby
Photo Source: Wikipedia Commons

Cosby was sued in a 2005 lawsuit filed by a Philadelphia area woman, Andrea Constand, in federal court alleging battery, sexual assault, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, defamation, and privacy claims. Constand’s lawsuit alleged that Cosby gave her “herbal medication” to ease her anxiety, and when she was in a near-comatose state, he molested her. Constand’s lawsuit settled one and a half years after it was filed.

Among various pleadings and court papers filed in connection with the lawsuit are references to 14 other women who allege similar experiences with Bill Cosby. In fact, Since Constand’s 2005 lawsuit, a number of other women victims have come forward. Many of them describe Cosby as having sexually assaulted them after they were first drugged and incapacitated by Cosby.

Sex Allegations – Media Reports

In February 2005, another woman, Tamara Green, came forward and told the Today Show that Cosby sexually assaulted her in the 70’s. She reported that Cosby gave her two pills which he said were cold medicine, and then, after 40 minutes, she “lost motor control.” She described being face-down on a table in his restaurant, and “very stoned.” She said that Cosby drover her back to her home where he began to undress her, and sexually assaulted her.

In June 2005, Beth Ferrier, once Jane Doe number 5 from Constand’s lawsuit, came forward and told reporters that her consensual relationship with Cosby ended when he drugged her coffee. Ferrier said that she woke up in the back of her car, with her bra undone and her top untucked. She remembered nothing between drinking the coffee prepared by Cosby, and waking up in the backseat of her vehicle. Witnesses told the woman that Cosby approached them and asked them to get Ferrier home.

Philadelphia Magazine in November 2006 – Interview

In an extended interview with Philadelphia Magazine in November 2006, Barbara Bowman told a reporter that she was sexually assaulted by Cosby. She recalled an evening at Cosby’s New York home, where she had dinner with Cosby. She said that she had one glass of wine, began to feel dizzy and sick, and had to lie down on Cosby’s couch. According to Bowman, the next thing she remembers was throwing up into a toilet bowl, and wearing a t-shirt that wasn’t hers. She says that Cosby was wearing a robe. She also details a second, much more aggressive encounter with Cosby in her interview.

It appears that Cosby’s lawyers were able to keep Cosby’s accusers on the back-burner until 2014, when the allegations surfaced again. A comedian, Hannibal Burress, performed a comedy routine in Philadelphia about rape charges that had been levied against Cosby. The allegations of sexual abuse against Cosby picked up steam, again, and Barbara Bowman told her story to the Washington Post.

12 Additional Sex Assault Allegations

Joan Tarshis, Linda Traitz, Janice Dickinson, Carla Ferrigno, Louisa Mortiz, Theresa Serignese, Kristina Ruehli, Renita Chaney Hill, Angela Leslie, Victoria Valentino, Jewel Allison, and Judy Huth (twelve additional women) have all alleged that Cosby sexually assaulted them, or tried to sexually assault them.

Jennifer Huth has filed a lawsuit against Cosby in California, claiming that Cosby fed her alcohol when she was only 15, took her to the Playboy mansion, and forced her to touch him. The Cosby saga continues, but it is a far cry from the Bill Huxtable whose fatherly antics and crazy sweaters entertained generations of Americans.

Women who allege to have been molested by Cosby should not be deterred by the celebrity’s money, fame, and popularity. The rules do apply to Cosby. The legal system is an equalizer.