Bill Cosby

Cosby has been accused of sexual abuse or assault by over 20 women

Bill Cosby’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was vandalized Thursday night, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce said Friday.

The word “rapist” was written multiple times on the star, according to a photo posted Thursday by a Houston TV station.

“When people are unhappy with one of our honorees, we would hope that they would project their anger in more positive ways then to vandalize a California State landmark,” said a spokeswoman from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which awards the stars, in a statement.

Cosby has been accused of sexual abuse or assault by over 20 women, many who spoke out for the first time in the last few months…

Read the rest of the story from our partners at NBC News

Claims in lawsuit filed Tuesday "are absolutely false," Martin Singer says

Bill Cosby ‘s lawyer is coming out firing about the sexual abuse lawsuit filed against the comedian on Tuesday.

The lawsuit alleges that Cosby, 77, sexually assaulted Judy Huth, who was 15 at the time, and that the incident has led to “mental anguish” and “significant problems throughout her life.”

In papers filed in L.A. Superior Court on Wednesday Cosby’s lawyer, Martin Singer, calls Huth’s claims false – and says her lawyer attempted to extort Cosby for $250,000 before filing the suit. He also disputes her claim to have only discovered her psychological injury within the past three years (as required by the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse cases in California), asserting she tried to sell her story to a tabloid nine years ago.

In addition, Singer says that Huth failed to provide the legally necessary Certificate of Merit executed by her attorney and a licensed mental health practitioner to back up her claims of mental anguish.

Huth’s claims “are absolutely false” and her case “fails to state sufficient facts to constitute a cause of action for claims arising out of alleged childhood sexual abuse,” Singer writes, asking for monetary sanctions from Huth and her lawyer in the amount of at least $33,295 to cover “reasonable expenses, including attorney’s fees.”

Cosby and his lawyer claim that Huth’s lawyer Marc Strecker asked for $100,00 and $250,000 on separate occasions in exchange for Huth refraining from pursuing criminal or civil claims. The papers also state that the “Plaintiff’s counsel admitted within days of filing the lawsuit that he only spent an hour meeting with her and that he did not know if she had ever seen a therapist or undergone therapy for this incident.”

Strecker has not responded to requests for comment.

Since Huth’s lawsuit was filed, three accusers have come forward demanding a $100 million fund for alleged victims.

On Thursday, L.A. Police Department chief Charlie Beck said his department would investigate any accusations brought against Cosby, even those beyond the statute of limitations. “We don’t turn people away because things are out of statute. You come to us, especially with a sexual allegation, we will work with you,” the chief said. “We address these things seriously, and it’s not just because it’s Mr. Cosby.”

This article originally appeared on People.com

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus called the allegations "very serious"

The Navy has revoked Bill Cosby’s honorary title in light of allegations he sexually assaulted a string of women over decades. “The Navy is taking this action because allegations against Mr. Cosby are very serious and are in conflict with the Navy’s core values of honor, courage and commitment,” Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said in a statement. The comedian — who spent four years in the Navy — was given the title of honorary Chief Petty Officer in 2011.

Read the rest of the story from our partners at NBC News

Three more women are speaking out to accuse Bill Cosby of sexual assault. At a press conference on Wednesday, L.A. attorney Gloria Allred, who is representing the accusers, demanded Cosby place $100 million in a fund for his alleged victims and allow a panel of retired judges to decide whether the women’s claims have merit or not.

Allred – a civil-rights lawyer often in the headlines for cases involving women’s rights and celebrities – proposed that Cosby should waive the statute of limitations on sexual assault claims, which would permit the women to file lawsuits against the beleaguered comedian.

“It could be advantageous for Mr. Cosby to give up the statute of limitations because there is a huge cloud on his reputation and legacy,” she said.

Cosby’s attorney, Martin Singer, has blasted the wave of new accusationsagainst Cosby. “These brand new claims about alleged decades-old events are becoming increasingly ridiculous,” he said in a statement on Nov. 21.

Allred told reporters that she had been approached by a number of women who claimed that Cosby either drugged or sexually assaulted them. “Many of those alleged victims contacted me to determine if they had any legal rights that they could assert against Mr. Cosby,” she said. “Unfortunately, with a rare exception, I had to inform these women that it was too late for them to file a lawsuit against Mr. Cosby because of the statute of limitations.”

“If Mr. Cosby believes all the women are being untruthful, then this is his opportunity to prove it,” she added. “What could be fairer than that?”

In a statement provided by Allred, the three accusers all said they met Cosby in the ’70s or ’80s. Beth Ferrier, a Colorado native who first spoke to PEOPLE in 2006 when she supported a civil lawsuit filed by Andrea Constand against Cosby and told PEOPLE last month she felt “there needs to be an outcry” over Cosby’s behavior, said she was an aspiring actress and model when she met Cosby through her then-agent in New York City in the mid-’80s and began an affair. After she broke up with him, he called her in Denver and invited her to one of his performances. While she was backstage, Ferrier alleges, Cosby spiked her cappuccino. “The next thing I knew, hours had passed, and I woke up in the back of my car alone. My clothes were a mess; my bra was undone. My car was in the alleyway behind the venue. I felt confused and disoriented. I had no idea what happened to me. The last memory I had was drinking Mr. Cosby’s coffee.”

Ferrier said two security guards drove her home at Cosby’s request. That same night, Ferrier said she drove to Cosby’s hotel to confront him. “Mr. Cosby’s explanation for what happened was that ‘[I] had too much to drink.’ I did not believe him. I had not consumed any alcohol that night. I believe that Mr. Cosby drugged me in order to sexually assault me that night.”

Ferrier said she told the National Enquirer about her assault in 2005 and passed a lie detector test. However, she said, the paper didn’t publish her story and instead ran an exclusive interview with Cosby, who denied all the allegations.

Helen Hayes said she met Cosby in 1973 while attending Clint Eastwood’s Celebrity Tennis Tournament in Pebble Beach, California. She said Cosby groped her right breast at a restaurant later that night. “I was stunned and angry because he had no right to do that and I did not know why he would behave that way,” she said. “His behavior was like that of a predator.

The third alleged victim, identified only by a first name, Chelan, said she met Cosby in Las Vegas in 1986 when she was 17 and working at the Hilton as a bell dispatcher at the bell desk. Chelan alleged Cosby invited her to his suite so he could introduce her to someone from the Ford modeling agency. There, she said, he gave her a blue pill he said was an antihistamine with a double shot of Amaretto.

Chelan said Cosby walked her to the bedroom and began sexually assaulting her. “I could not open my eyes. I couldn’t move or say anything. I felt something warm on my legs. Then I blacked out.”

She said she woke up hours later to Cosby clapping his hands and saying, “Daddy says wake up.” He then gave her $1,500 to buy something nice for her and her grandmother, she said.

This article originally appeared on PEOPLE.com

Cosby thanked The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg and singer Jill Scott

Bill Cosby issued a rare public statement related to the mounting sexual-assault allegations against him. The veteran actor tweeted his thanks to two celebrities who have repeatedly defended him (and who have received considerable backlash in the process).

Cosby thanked The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg and singer Jill Scott:

Goldberg said on The View last month: “Perhaps the police might have believed [the allegation], or the hospital. Don’t you do a kit when you say someone has raped you? … I hope somebody gets to the bottom of this, but I’m going to reserve my judgment because I have a lot of questions, as I said. It’s crazy, but I have a lot of questions, because I know we all have friends who have gone through this.”

Scott tweeted:

About 20 women have accused the former Cosby Show star of sexual assault. Cosby has denied the allegations.

This article originally appeared on Entertainment Weekly

A subtle joke from a season 3 episode resonates much more clearly now

Back in 2009, a particularly memorable episode of 30 Rock called “The Bubble” featured guest star Jon Hamm as a really, really ridiculously good-looking doctor who, as a result of said good looks, never experienced the humiliations, inconveniences and general unpleasantness of everyday life. (As a result, he never really had to learn anything — so he was also tremendously dumb, which made for some fun jokes.)

But anyway, during that episode, the 30 Rock writers seemed to reference Bill Cosby’s alleged history of sexual assault, which only very recently became the subject of widespread national attention.

The folks over at Crushable noticed the reference, which most of us probably missed at the time. It comes up during contract negotations between Jack Donaghy (played by Alec Baldwin) and Tracy Jordan (played by Tracy Morgan.) Tracy has quit his job on TGS, so Jack hires a Bill Cosby impersonator named Rick to try to convince him to come back.

You can watch the full clip here, and read the exchange below:

Jack Donaghy: I’ve arranged for one of Tracy’s childhood idols to reach out to him.

Tracy Jordan: Hello?

Jack Donaghy: Tracy, this is Jack, I have someone here who wants to speak with you.

Rick: Tracy, this is Bill Cosby…

Liz Lemon: [whispering] Really? This is your strategy?

Jack Donaghy: [whispering and smiling] I heard him do this at a party!

Rick: …I want you to come back to the TGS for the people who like the jokes and the things.

Tracy Jordan: Bill Cosby, you got a lotta nerve gettin’ on the phone wit’ me after what you did to my Aunt Paulette!

Rick: I think you’re confusing me with someone else.

Tracy Jordan: 1971. Cincinnati. She was a cocktail waitress with the droopy eye!

Rick: I’m the guy… with the pudding…

Tracy Jordan: Don’t try to tell me what to do! Dr. Heathcliffe Huxtable, wit’ yo’ light-ass kids! Jack! Why would you make me talk to this man?

At the time, it was probably easy to overlook this exchange because Tracy was known for spewing total non-sequiturs, telling outlandish stories about his family history and generally being an unreliable narrator. But now that a number of women have publicly accused Cosby of sexual assault, this hardly feels like a throwaway one-off joke.

Also, keep in mind that in October, former 30 Rock writer Hannibal Buress publicly called Cosby out in a rant that helped ignite the ongoing national discussion. Granted, Buress began writing for the show after the episode in question aired, so he probably wasn’t responsible for this scene. But chances are he’s not the only member of the 30 Rock team — or the comedy community in general — who has been deeply frustrated for many years about the lack of attention given to the allegations against Cosby.

Of course, it’s possible that it’s all a weird coincidence and that this was just another example of Tracy being Tracy. But knowing what we know now, it’s hard to believe this was not an intentional (if subtle) jab.

(h/t Crushable)

(LOS ANGELES) — A Southern California woman has sued Bill Cosby, claiming the comedian molested her around 1974 when she was 15 years old.

Judith Huth claims in the sexual battery lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles that the molestation occurred in a bedroom of the Playboy Mansion. Huth’s suit states that she and a friend first met Cosby at a Los Angeles-area film shoot and the comedian gave them drinks a week later at a tennis club.

Huth’s lawsuit states that Cosby took them to the Playboy mansion after several drinks. Her suit states Cosby forced her to perform a sex act on him with his hand.

An email message sent to Cosby’s attorney Martin Singer was not immediately returned.

The woman claims she suffered severe emotional distress and that she discovered its impact on her within the past three years, which allows her to file the lawsuit under California law.

The comedian admitted under oath in 2005 that he gave an exclusive interview in return for the hushing of charges

Bill Cosby admitted under oath in 2005 that he gave an exclusive interview to the National Enquirer in exchange for the paper’s promise to drop an interview with onetime model Beth Ferrier, who accused him of sexually assaulting her in the 1980s.

The New York Times reports that the admission was made during a Sept. 2005 deposition at the Federal District Court in Philadelphia. The court documents containing the comedian’s testimony had been sealed, but were released on Wednesday in response to media requests.

“I would give them an exclusive story, my words,” Cosby testified, according to the documents, when asked about the agreement with the Enquirer. The paper, on their part, “would not print the story of — print Beth’s story,” he said.

More than a dozen women have, over the past two weeks, publicly claimed that Cosby had sexually assaulted, harassed or raped them. Cosby has denied all allegations.

Read more at the New York Times.