A Lovefraud reader asked me to write about the Bill Cosby scandal. A total of 27 women have publicly come forward to tell their stories of being sexually assaulted by the famous comedian.
A complete list of the women who have accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault, on Slate.com.
As I read the accounts, I kept seeing virtually the same story, over and over.
Many of the women were young models and actresses who claim Cosby made a pretense of offering them career advice. One woman, however, was a 19-year-old waitress who said Cosby offered her a ride home and then assaulted her. Another woman was 19 when Cosby approached her in a gift shop at the Las Vegas Hilton, where he was performing, and invited her backstage. She says she was drugged, and woke up to find him having sex with her in the green room bathroom.
At this point the shocking realization hit me: This could have happened to me.
Atlantic City Magazine
From 1978 through 1982 I was editor of Atlantic City Magazine. It was my first job out of college.
The job sounds more prestigious than it was. Casino gambling had just become legal in New Jersey, and Atlantic City’s first casino opened a few weeks after I graduated from college. Atlantic City Magazine was a startup publication. I was not only the first editor; I was the first employee.
I had majored in magazine journalism in college, and founded a campus magazine. But I think the prime reason I got the job in Atlantic City was because I was in the right place at the right time.
Arranging the Cosby interview
Atlantic City Magazine frequently published interviews with the headline entertainers who performed at the casinos. Sometime around 1980, when I was 24 years old, Bill Cosby, who regularly appeared in Atlantic City, agreed to be interviewed.
I needed to finalize the time and place where our writer would meet the comedian. But Cosby wasn’t available — he was playing tennis with a casino executive. So in this era before cell phones, I drove over to the indoor tennis courts.
After making the arrangements with a casino PR person, I, along with a few others, watched Cosby play tennis.
As the game was coming to an end, Cosby announced that he wanted to go to the famous White House Sub Shop. But he didn’t have a car. So as the casino folks were trying to figure out how to get him to the sub shop, Cosby pointed at me and said, “She’ll take me.”
Driving Bill Cosby
I was astounded. Everybody looked at me, and I said I could take him.
So, when Cosby finished playing tennis, we got into my car. The car was something plain and white that Atlantic City Magazine rented for me — certainly not what I assume the TV star was accustomed to driving in.
I was star struck. During the 15 minutes that it took to drive from the tennis courts to the sub shop, I tried to engage Cosby in conversation. He didn’t say much. But he did spit out the window.
When we arrived at the sub shop, I stopped the car, let him out and drove away.
It never occurred to me to go in with him, be a groupie, order subs, or make sure he got back to the casino. That’s how naive I was.
Dodged a bullet
Later, realizing that I’d let an opportunity to make an important connection slip through my fingers, I berated myself for my stupidity.
But now, after reading the accounts of all the young women who claim that Cosby assaulted them, I can’t help but wonder if the same thing could have happened to me.
Maybe Cosby assumed that I’d go into the White House with him, and drive him back to the casino. Then, perhaps he would have invited me backstage. I know I would not have questioned his intentions. I didn’t understand then that rich, famous, powerful men took advantage of young women.
Had Bill Cosby done the same thing to me that he allegedly did to all those other young women, I know one thing. I would have been severely traumatized.
So perhaps I was lucky that I drove away.
More info:
Everything you need to know about the Bill Cosby scandal, on Time.com
Bill Cosby’s legacy, recast: Accusers speak in detail about sexual assault allegations, on WashingtonPost.com.
I was chewed up and spit out in a ‘classic’ manner and at record speed
Cosby & his lawyers are heading back to court yet again demanding their money back from from Andrea Constant for her requesting that his/her deposition be released to all even though the NYTimes bought it from the court reporter & they are the ones that released the deposition first…this is SOOOOOOO common with a sociopath…they turn their eyes to the fact that he drugged & raped her along with 47 other women who have come forward & many more that are to scared to come forward and yet they want their money back. Sick Sick Sick Cosby & his deranged lawyers. STAY STRONG ANDREA CONSTAND!!!
This is from TMZ:
“Bill Cosby is trying to hit Andrea Constand where it hurts … in her checking account.
Cosby just filed legal docs, firing back at Constand who now says she wants her entire court file released to the public. Until recently, her sexual assault case file and settlement with Cosby was confidential, but the judge has released selected portions.
But now Constand says she wants Cosby’s entire deposition made public. Someone leaked it to the New York Times, but she now wants it available to everyone.
In Cosby’s new legal docs, he says it’s grossly unfair for her to break their confidentiality deal and at the same time keep the money he gave her to stay quiet.
Cosby’s lawyer makes it clear … if she keeps on trying to make the confidential docs public, she should be required to return some or all of the money Cosby gave her.”
What’s worse than a sociopath? A sociopath with endless money to burn on attorneys fees and ultimately financially ruin and destroy their victims! Cosby’s legal strategy is to continue to harass, defame, file motions for months on end and drain the victims’ bank accounts. Then John/Jane Q Public wonders why these 47+ + + women didn’t come forward sooner? Well, we know what that’s all about in the entertainment industry!
Yes! Andrea Constand stay strong and let all victims of evil sociopath Cosby unite and be a tidal wave of outrage against drugging and rape! Let him forever be the “poster child” of rapists and their victims.
Knownow…YEP, this is what happens when you try to divorce a sociopath = motion after motion of none sense to drag it out for years to break the victim down even more so…and I bet Mrs Cosby knows this all to well with her husbands daily behavior.
Glad that Ms Allred & Ms Bloom are on these cases they are a match against Cosby…his head is no doubt spinning that he can’t manipulate these to strong mind women!!
UPDATE: “Bill Cosby Handed Legal Setback In Sexual Assault Claim From 1974” reports NPR.org
“The California Supreme Court has denied Bill Cosby’s petition to review a lawsuit brought by a woman who says the comedian molested her at the Playboy mansion in 1974 when she was 15, a setback to Cosby’s attempts to stave off the decades-old allegations.
“We are looking forward to Mr. Cosby answering questions under oath at his deposition and we will continue to seek justice for our courageous client,” attorney Gloria Allred said in a statement.
Her client, Judy Huth, is suing Cosby for sexual battery, saying the comedian forced her to perform a sex act on him in 1974. Los Angeles police are investigating the claims.
Allred said she plans to take Cosby’s deposition within the next 30 days.”
Child sexual assault! Gloria ” go after him like a pit bull, girl!
Great news!!! Another deposition for him to try unsuccessfully to manipulate people…hopefully this time on camera!!
Bet he will all of a sudden get sick…3, 2, 1….what ailment are you going to come up with Bill that will keep you from being deposed by TWO savvy female lawyers?
Even if he does get “sick” or dies, his reputation has now tanked and he’ll be known as the most prolific serial rapist in history. No legacy, period! Thank goodness, and because of his fame, all this came out while he’s still alive which makes it even more disturbing and can’t be swept under the rug (as time has erased other sociopath’s evil deeds).
Oh yeah, Bill, tell your lies to Gloria Allred and Lisa Bloom! Look directly into the camera!
Bill Cosby files a lawsuit against his accusers. In the case of the leaked deposition, he says Andrea Constand failed to prevent a court reporting service from sharing the comedian’s deposition.
Cosby’s lawyers request sanctions, on Philly.com.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150722_Cosby_s_lawyers_fight_back__ask_for_sanctions_for_plaintiff_in__05_suit.html
Bill Cosby loses latest bid to block sexual abuse case.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-bill-cosby-lawsuit-20150723-story.html
Today on CNN Cosby’s Lawyer speaks out…of course he shifts the blame & denies his client did any thing illegal. Here is the written interview not sure how to post the video interview.
“(CNN)This past week a 2005-2006 deposition was released in which Bill Cosby answered questions from an attorney representing Andrea Constand, a former Temple University basketball coach who accused him of drugging and sexually assaulting her. More than 20 women have said that Cosby sexually assaulted them. The actor has denied all allegations and has never been charged with a crime.
Read some highlights from Cosby’s deposition here.
On Thursday, one of Cosby’s attorneys, Monique Pressley, was interviewed on CNN’s “New Day,” marking the first time one of Cosby’s attorneys has spoken since the deposition came to light.
This is the complete exchange between Pressley and anchor Alisyn Camerota.
Camerota: It’s very nice to have you here because it has been a challenge for the past nine months to cover this story without ever hearing from Bill Cosby. So what does Mr. Cosby say about these now more than 25 women who have come forward to accuse him of sexual assault and rape?
Pressley: I’m not certain what you mean by saying that you never hear from Bill Cosby since through his attorneys he, from the very beginning, has denied repeatedly the accusations and allegations that have been lodged against him.
Camerota: We have had written statements from the attorneys. You are the first person that we are able to speak to live, but we haven’t heard from Bill Cosby personally. So I’m wondering what has he told you about these accusations?
Pressley: Certainly, I’m not going to reveal client confidences. I’m counsel for Mr. Cosby and anything that he says to me is said in confidence. But when his attorneys speak we are speaking for him. So when we speak and say that he denies all of the allegations and accusations then that is the statement of Bill Cosby. When you look at the recent filings, just as recently as two days ago in another case in Pennsylvania, those are the statements of Mr. Cosby. It’s not necessary for him to do anything more than what he is doing, which is relying on able counsel to speak for him in a situation where he, one, has neither been charged with, nor two, convicted of any crime. So, even though we hear excerpts from accusers and see headlines that discuss things like calling him a rapist or saying that he has committed sexual assault ,the case actually is in a civil court and there are no criminal charges filed. And I think it’s important, no matter what manner the attorneys are speaking for him or the media is covering it, that that’s a point that stays clear.
Camerota: It’s not just excerpts from accusers. We’ve also heard Mr. Cosby in his own words. These are revelations that have come out of this deposition from the 2005 Andrea Constand case. One of the big headlines from that is that Bill Cosby admits that he got seven prescriptions for the powerful sedative called Quaaludes not so that he could use them but so that he could give them to women that he wanted to have sex with. And we have heard from the accusers that he did give them the powerful sedative, so powerful that they could not consent to sex with him. What is your response to that revelation?
Pressley: And it’s not really a revelation that Quaaludes were used in the ’70s. They were commonly used as a partying drug and they were also known to be used to increase sexual arousal. And Mr. Cosby admitted in his deposition to offering one person who he was in a relationship with Quaaludes during that time period, and that that person accepted it. And so when we see, again, excerpts saying it is a powerful sedative but not talking about the fact that it was also commonly used party drug during the ’70s.
Camerota: Ms. Pressley, I have interviewed eleven of the accusers. None of them were Quaalude users. Furthermore, none of them consented to using Quaaludes. They all accepted a drink — sometimes a cappuccino, not even an alcoholic drink — and afterward they became unconscious.
Pressley: The interesting part about you saying that you’ve interviewed them and then you accept what they said is true. However, when you listen to the denial of the accusations by Mr. Cosby through his attorneys repeatedly from the beginning that’s looked at and scoffed —
Camerota: So why did he get seven prescriptions for Quaaludes? That sounds like more than just one woman that he offered a Quaalude to. That sounds like he wanted to give them to women. And in fact in his own words, he says they were the purpose of giving to women, plural.
Pressley: And what you’re discussing is not a crime for a person to offer a substance in a consensual relationship to a person with knowledge and for them to choose to accept it is not criminal. It isn’t even news, actually.
Camerota: They said they had no choice, that he slipped it to them. What is his response to that?
Pressley: As he said a number of times, that’s been denied, one, that he ever slipped without a person’s knowing, male or female, a drug of any sort to them and, two, that there was ever between him and any other adult nonconsensual sex. Those two things — and, actually if you look at the manner in which the people who are lodging the accusations have done so, we are seeing cases that come forward 10, 20, 30 and even 40 — such as the California case — 40 years later where it leaves the very precepts of our justice system unable to be followed through. What do I mean? We go to a court of law to determine how to mete out justice. We go there to figure out what is true and what is false. We can’t do that in these cases.
Camerota: The statute of limitations has passed for these women. That is true. They say that at the time —
Pressley: But it didn’t pass for the women. They chose to not come forward until after the statute of limitations.
Camerota: That’s not exactly right. They say they did try to get attention for what happened to them in the ’70s and ’80s. They told friends, they told employers, they told lawyers, and all of them advised them, don’t mess with one of the most powerful men in the world. But let me ask you this, why do you think in that case, if you don’t believe any of these women’s accounts, why do you think more than 25 women would be coming forward to tell this very private and very upsetting account? You think they’re all lying?
Pressley: Here is the important and critical fact. It’s not about what I believe. It’s not about what I think. It’s not about even what the truth of the matter is 40 years later when we have no way of accessing witnesses who can verify the fact. The important matter is that in our system in the United States, and I love this about our country, we have a way for people who are accused of a crime to actually step forward and defend themselves. And for people who are accusing or bringing allegations to prove them in court. And when that system doesn’t work —
Camerota: Times are different now, as I think you’ll admit, but you say it’s not about the truth of the matter. It is about the truth of the matter. Do you believe these women or do you think they’re liars?
Pressley: I am here as counsel for Mr. Cosby. I am not here to assert a personal belief nor am I here to call them names. I’m here to say is that in this country Mr. Cosby is, one, innocent until proven guilty and, two, because of no fault of his own, these women did not come forward, there will not be an opportunity for him to disprove claims that are four decades old. I think that the fact that the sheer volume of the number of people who have come out is increasing others’ ability to then be tag-alongs and say, OK, if one is getting away with lodging accusations with no proof then perhaps two can, then perhaps 10 can, but that does not make it so.
Camerota: Next month Mr. Cosby will have the opportunity. Because as we just reported this morning the civil case of sexual assault, a judge is allowing this to move forward. This is the one that involves a [then-] 15-year-old who, she claims, was sexual assaulted at the Playboy mansion. And in fact Gloria Allred, her attorney, says that she expects to be able to depose Mr. Cosby in the next 30 days. Will he appear for that deposition?
Pressley: Well, I read the press release and I understand that that is her hope and her intention. But what this California Supreme Court did was really just put this case at the beginning posture that it was in. They were ruling on a technical issue about whether the filing could be amended or not. And they said that would not be heard.
Camerota: If called to do a deposition will he give a deposition?
Pressley: And certainly I’m not going to reveal strategies, tactics or intentions of my client to testify or not or advice of counsel about the matter. We will deal with that with the able counsel who are in California who are handling this case.
Camerota: You have been saying this has to be aired in a court of law. This is the opportunity. This is the opportunity next month for this to happen in a court of law. This is what you say Mr. Cosby has been waiting for. Will he let this be heard in a court of law?
Pressley: And I what I said to you is that through the court system when court cases are brought appropriately, then it’s handled by the defense and by the plaintiffs in the manner that it’s supposed to be. And that means that they make all of the decisions that are available to them in a court of law. That doesn’t mean that I’m gonna sit here today and tell you what I would advise Mr. Cosby to do or what his Los Angeles counsel would advise him to do or what his intentions are.
It means that’s the forum, that the forum is not headlines from 70 years ago with one question and one answer from a deposition about the use of a party drug. Instead, we will see in the courtroom, in this case and in others, whether a defamation suit can hold up for a person who speaks up and says I deny the claims that are being lodged against me. We will see whether this claim that the police refused to prosecute will also become frivolous to the court in a civil case. All of those are things that we’ll find out in time. I know that that is the way the system should work. I pray it will work that way in this case.”
“When Bill Cosby Wanted Quaaludes, He Turned to This Gynecologist” the Washington Post reports:
“When Bill Cosby needed Quaaludes to give to women he hoped to have sex with, he knew a doctor to turn to: Leroy Amar, a Hollywood prescriber of the pills that became a popular recreational drug among celebrities and other glitzy party people in the 1970s.”
See interesting article on Cosby’s pill prescriber at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/when-bill-cosby-wanted-quaaludes-he-turned-to-this-gynecologist/2015/07/23/1599a9be-2fe1-11e5-8f36-18d1d501920d_story.html
Now we know who prescribed the pills. Too bad the quack is dead. In the article it states Quaaludes were often referred to as “disco biscuits”. Hugh Hefner often referred to them as “thigh openers”. What does that tell you?
Knownow, who was Cosby getting Rx filled from in the 80’s, 90’s & up to 2005 he was still drugging victims.
Bet Hefner & Cosby have the same doctor. I also bet when Hefner passes there will be many many many women coming forward to tell the truth about him drugging women plus many other celebrities at Hufners house drugging women. These two were “best” friends no doubt they told each other everything.
Jan7”.I’m sure Cosby also got Rx’s from Hefner’s personal physician Mark Saginor, who partied at the Mansion as well and is still alive. The LAPD needs to hurry up their investigation because some of the people that enabled Cosby’s sexual assaults will soon be dead or have Alzheimer’s.
Also, I’m sure when he gets deposed by Gloria Allred and asked if certain events happened at various times he’ll claim “I don’t recall” or “it was so long ago.” Wouldn’t be surprised if he “conveniently” develops dementia soon. Gloria’s going to have a job keeping him on task when deposing him because he’ll try to use the “word salad” response like he has in the past.
Knownow…this was in the Daily mail. Hollywood = HELL. How many women in Hollywood have been sexually assaulted by similar men like Cosby, Helfner & this doctor??
The doctor who supplied Bill Cosby with Quaaludes in the 1970s has been revealed.
Dr. Leroy Amar was a gynecologist who ran in the same circles as Cosby in Los Angeles and was happy to fill out prescriptions for the disgraced actor.
This despite the fact that Cosby admitted he had no intention of taking the drugs himself.
Not good: Cosby (above in November 2014) said in a 2005 deposition that Amar did this knowing that he had no intention of taking the drug
Amar’s identity was revealed when Cosby’s 2005 deposition in the case brought against him by Andrea Constand was released to the public.
In that deposition Cosby was asked about Amar; ‘Did he know when he gave you those prescriptions that you had no intention of taking them?’
Cosby responded to this by saying; ‘Yes.’
He was then asked; ‘Did you believe at that time that it was illegal for you to dispense those drugs?’
Cosby again answered this question by saying; ‘Yes.’
The Washington Post reports that Amar and Cosby grew close, and that both were investors in the Bayou Club in Los Angeles.
Amar also reportedly had a problem when he learned that Cosby had made Tamara Green – one of the many women now accusing the actor of drugging and raping her – feel ‘very uncomfortable’ one evening by giving her wine and forcing her to sing songs to him.
Cosby denied that this ever happened.
Amar had his own problems as well, losing his license to practice medicine in 1979 after it was discovered he had ‘engaged in the most serious misconduct.’
He eventually had his license reinstated in 1985, but he never practiced again in California.
Two Cosby accusers call for entire deposition to be released
There are also reports of multiple botched procedures that occurred when Amar was working as a plastic surgeon, including one in which a woman’s breast implant burst through her stitches.
Another time he reportedly performed the procedure using just a local numbing agent.
Amar died in 1992, and multiple members of his family did not respond to requests for comment in the story.
Cosby’s lawyers issued a statement about the actor’s Quaalude use last week.
‘The media immediately pounced, inaccurately labeling the released testimony as defendant’s “confession” of “drugging” women and assaulting them,’ said Patrick O’Connor and George Gowen.
‘Reading the media accounts, one would conclude that defendant has admitted to rape. And yet defendant admitted to nothing more than being one of the many people who introduced Quaaludes into their consensual sex life in the 1970s.’
The men then added; ‘There are countless tales of celebrities, music stars, and wealthy socialites in the 1970s willingly using Quaaludes for recreational purposes and during consensual sex.’
Hey Bill, they’re dropping like flies. “Spelman College is discontinuing its endowed professorship with Bill Cosby after recent details emerged of his testimony in a sexual-assault lawsuit.” reports the Washington Post.
“Spelman told The Associated Press in a statement Friday that the college has parted ways with the 78-year-old actor and comedian The program was established in the name of Cosby and his wife, Camille, to bring POSITIVE ATTENTION and scholars to the campus. The Cosby’s donated $20 million to the college in 1988.”
$20 million? No more positive attention. With all your wealth you are exposed and can no longer buy respect. With all your wealth, your titles of education, your supposed college degree, master’s degree, doctorate degree is a joke. You are not educated Bill Cosby. Why don’t these colleges and universities do their homework on Cosby’s fake degrees? Money, Money and More Money!
Then we have the Smithsonian. They are refusing to take down the Black/African art exhibit scheduled to run through 1/16. Citing that it’s not about Bill Cosby but the artists, art and message they are steadfast in continuing the exhibition. Normally I’d agree with that but there’s a small problem: Camille Cosby is on the Board of Directors of The Smithsonian (ie..conflict of interest). The Cosby’s stand to substantially increase the value of their art collection by displaying it at the Smithsonian. Also they made a major $ ($700, 00 +) contribution to the Smithsonian which it’s reluctant to disclose. Money, Money and More Money!
It goes on and on. All of this is going to eventually unravel. I want it to sooner than later.
Just because it was art by Nazi artists in Hitler’s collection does this make it a significant and positive sociological artistic contribution? No, what it says is, historically, this was a psychopath who led his country to the brink of destruction by cult like deception and brainwashing the populace and decimating thousands of lives. What a slap in the face to Jews everywhere.
Cosby’s collection of Black/African Art is as much of a slap and demeaning to African Americans in the US as Hitler’s collection of art to Europe. We’re talking about a collection of works by very talented and prominent African American artists (past and present) being displayed by the Smithsonian on loan by a sociopathic wealthy collector and his wife, both masquerading as philanthropists and educators.
Hey Bill, want to collect clown paintings by Wayne Gacey? I’m sure they’re very collectible and very valuable in the SOCIOPATHIC HALL OF FAME art work market!
Since the CA Supreme Court recently denied Cosby’s request to block a civil suit against him, legal experts are weighing in on what might happen and the potential of this civil suit to move forward. I know nothing about how these proceedings work so have been curious to understand all the legal speak. This is what I’ve found:
An excellent interview with Gloria Allred where she goes in depth to explain what can happen next. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FcbG-tICtc
“Gloria Allred and the Problem with the Quaalude Defense” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPQ7qXodY54
“We Asked a Lawyer What’s Next for Alleged Serial Rapist Bill Cosby” an interview with Jody David Armour, a professor of law at the University of Southern California and an expert on celebrity trials, sex offenses, and defamation.
http://www.vice.com/read/we-asked-a-lawyer-whats-next-for-alleged-serial-rapist-bill-cosby-724
All very interesting.