Janice Dickinson suing Bill Cosby for defamation
After alleging that Bill Cosby drugged and raped her, Janice Dickinson tells ET that she and her lawyer Lisa Bloom will file a lawsuit for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress against the comedian.
Dickinson, who is one of over 30 women to accuse the 77-year-old comedian of sexual assault, first spoke out against Cosby on "Entertainment Tonight" in November. At the time, Cosby's lawyer refuted those claims in a statement that said, "Janice Dickinson's story accusing Bill Cosby of rape is a lie." According to a copy of the proposed lawsuit provided to ET, this statement led to the 60-year-old supermodel taking legal action.
"I'm suing Bill Cosby for justice and vindication," Dickinson told ET's Brooke Anderson on Wednesday.
"What sparked this lawsuit is Bill Cosby through his representatives calling Janice Dickinson a liar, and Janice is refusing to be re-victimized," Bloom further explained. "She alleges she was drugged and raped by Bill Cosby, and then re-victimized again when he called her a liar."
Now, Dickinson says she "is not the same woman," and has suffered from nightmares, nervousness and embarrassment.
"I was drugged and raped -- drugged and raped -- by Bill Cosby," Dickinson told ET. "And the fact that he and his spokespeople have called me a liar -- referring to remarks that I've made -- it's just not correct. I want to fight this. I'm not being paid anything monetarily to do this, it's just the right thing to do."
In the proposed lawsuit, which Bloom said will be filed Wednesday in California Superior Court, Dickinson and her lawyer accuse Cosby and his legal team of making a "false statement" and that the comments made "were written and published with the goal of making Ms. Dickinson an object of ridicule, contempt, hatred or disgrace, and to bring her public and personal humiliation."
"It's the right time," Dickinson told ET. "I could not let myself be silent. I am sober today, and I'm in a program of vigorous honesty. I want to protect all those women that haven't come forward and show them the love and support worldwide that what happened to me will not happen to another woman."
Dickinson is asking for a jury trial and an unspecified amount of monetary damages to compensate for the damages to her reputation.
"All she can do is ask for a lawsuit at this point, because no criminal charges can be filed," Bloom said.
As for what Dickinson would say to Cosby if he were there?
"Why won't you talk about the truth?" an emotional Dickinson asked. "Do you want to go to heaven or do you want to go to hell?"
ET has reached out to Cosby's lawyers for comment. Cosby has never been charged in any criminal case regarding any of these new accusations from multiple women, and through spokespeople has repeatedly denied that any of the allegations are true.