Three more women came forward in Los Angeles today to claim 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 other women who claimed to be victims of 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.
At today’s news conference, one woman said she met Cosby in 1981 at a Las Vegas tennis tournament, when she was 25 years old. She said Cosby invited her to one of his shows, and while there, he handed her a champagne glass with a clear liquid in it 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,” Linda 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 came following remarks by actress Phylicia Rashad, who played Cosby’s wife on “The Cosby Show.” 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 years old. Prosecutors said the statute of limitations had expired since 40 years had passed since the alleged assault.
