Lawyers for Cosby accusers say admission "gratifies" clients
Two attorneys have responded to the latest controversy surrounding Bill Cosby, saying his admission in a deposition that he obtained drugs with the intent of giving them to women validates their clients' allegations.
Lawyer Gloria Allred says she hopes to use Bill Cosby's newly unsealed testimony from 2005 in other court cases against the comedian.
She said in an interview with The Associated Press on Monday evening that "this confirms the allegations of numerous victims who have alleged that he had used drugs to sexually assault them."
She says "this admission is one that Mr. Cosby has attempted to hide from the public for many years and we are very gratified that it is now being made public."
Meanwhile, the lawyer for model Janice Dickinson says "now we know why" Bill Cosby has failed to appear for a deposition in her defamation lawsuit against him.
Dickinson sued him in May, saying denials made by the comedian's representatives after she accused him last year of raping her in 1982 were defamatory.
Given his testimony in 2005, lawyer Lisa Bloom said in a statement Monday evening, "how dare he publicly vilify Ms. Dickinson and accuse her of lying when she tells a very similar story?"
She says "it is time for Mr. Cosby to stop hiding behind his attorneys and publicists and to publicly apologize to Ms. Dickinson and the 46 other women who have publicly accused him of sexual assault."
Cosby, 77, admitted in the 2005 deposition that he obtained quaaludes with the intent of giving them to young women he wanted to have sex with. He admitted giving the sedative to at least one woman. The AP had sought release of the documents, which were unsealed Monday.
The comedian has been accused by more than two dozen women of sexual misconduct, including allegations by many that he drugged and raped them in incidents dating back more than four decades. Cosby has never been criminally charged, and most of the accusations are barred by statutes of limitations.