3 More Women Accuse Bill Cosby Of Drugging, Sexually Assaulting Them
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Three more women came forward Wednesday in Los Angeles to say they were sexually assaulted by comedian Bill Cosby.
The women spoke out at a news conference called by their attorney, Gloria Allred, who last year held a similar event with three women who said they were victimized by Cosby.
Dozens of women have come forward in recent months, alleging Cosby drugged them and assaulted them. The comedian's attorney has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing by Cosby and dismissed the claims as unfounded.
Linda Kirkpatrick was one of the women who spoke out at Wednesday's news conference. She said she met Cosby in 1981 at a Las Vegas tennis tournament when she was 25. Kirkpatrick said Cosby invited her to one of his shows, and while she was there, he gave her a champagne glass with a clear liquid and something that appeared to be a red piece of fruit at the bottom.
"I drank several sips of the clear liquid I had been handed by Cosby, however, did not recognize the taste," Kirkpatrick said. "My next recollection was being back in the dressing room alone with Cosby. I was lying down. Cosby was on top of me, kissing me forcefully. I had no interest in sex of any kind with Bill Cosby."
The new accusations happened to arrive on the same day actress Phylicia Rashad, who played Cosby's wife on "The Cosby Show," spoke out in defense of her longtime costar. When asked about the women accusing Cosby of wrongdoing, Rashad said: "Forget these women. What you are seeing is the destruction of a legacy, and it's a legacy that is so important to the culture."
In mid-December, Los Angeles County prosecutors declined to file charges against Cosby over allegations that he had sexually assaulted another of Allred's clients, Judy Huth. Huth claims Cosby assaulted her at the Playboy mansion in 1974 when she was 15. Prosecutors said the statute of limitations had expired since 40 years had passed since the alleged assault.
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