The complaint was filed after Nevada passed legislation that lifted the statute of limitations on civil cases of sexual assault.
A lawsuit in Nevada is the latest to accuse Bill Cosby of sexual assault, adding to a series of high-profile allegations against the former US TV star.
On Thursday, nine women stepped forward in a lawsuit alleging that Cosby — once known as “America’s Father” — drugged and assaulted them between 1979 and 1992.
The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court of Nevada, details alleged attacks in Cosby’s locker rooms, hotels and various homes. It demands damages, among other things, for sexual assault, physical harm and deprivation of liberty.
The lawsuit follows a Nevada law change that removes the statute of limitations for adult sexual assault survivors pursuing civil suits.
Comedian Bill Cosby was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison in Pennsylvania before his conviction was overturned [File: Brendan McDermid/Reuters]
Previously, adult victims had only two years to file civil suits. But on June 2, Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo signed a bill entitled Justice for Crime Victims — part of a statewide trend to lift certain statutes of limitations on allegations of sexual assault.
“For years I’ve been fighting for sexual assault survivors, and today for the first time I can fight for myself,” said Lise-Lotte Lublin, a school teacher and former model who has long advocated for statutes of limitations to be extended in cases of sexual violence.
In a statement released by her lawyers, Lublin celebrated the passage of the June 2 law.
“With the new law change, I now have the opportunity to bring my attacker, Bill Cosby, to justice. My journey has only just begun, but I am grateful for this opportunity to find justice,” she said.
Spurred on by other women coming forward, Lublin filed a lawsuit against Cosby in Las Vegas in late 2014. However, she soon found that her case could not be continued because the statute of limitations had expired.
She claimed Cosby called her to the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel in 1989 on the premise of practicing acting techniques. Once there, she claims Cosby gave her fortified alcohol to “help her relax.” But she quickly lost consciousness and only later woke up in her own bed without knowing how she got there.
Lublin told US media that she recognized her experiences in other women’s stories, particularly during the #MeToo movement.
Lise-Lotte Lublin (left) testifies that she was drugged and assaulted by Bill Cosby in Carson City, Nevada, along with attorney Gloria Allred (right). [File: Cathleen Allison/AP Photo]
More than 60 women have accused Cosby of sexual assault, molestation or rape, including through the use of drugs. One of the nine women in Thursday’s complaint alleged that Cosby used non-alcoholic cider to drug and rape her in a Nevada hotel room, for example.
Another Los Angeles woman was awarded $500,000 last year after she claimed Cosby sexually assaulted her when she was 16 at the Playboy Mansion. This lawsuit was also made possible by California’s decision to lift the statute of limitations in civil sexual assault cases.
But in 2021, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court reversed a high-profile criminal conviction against Cosby that had sentenced him to three years in prison.
The court argued that Cosby’s “right to due process” had been violated when a prosecutor assured the TV star that if he testified, he would not be charged. After he did so and stated that he gave women a quaalude before having sex, the statement later became key evidence in the criminal case, which was overturned.
Cosby has maintained his innocence, and his attorneys and public relations team have sharply criticized the legislative movement to extend or eliminate the statute of limitations in civil sexual assault cases.
“These judges and legislators are constantly allowing these civil lawsuits to flood their files, knowing full well that these women are not fighting for victims but for their addiction to massive media attention and greed,” Cosby publicist Andrew Wyatt said Wednesday.