PEOPLE-BILL COSBY Three more women accuse Bill Cosby of decades-old assaults

Record ID: 144107

  • Title: PEOPLE-BILL COSBY Three more women accuse Bill Cosby of decades-old assaults
  • Date: 12th August 2015
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF COMEDIAN BILL COSBY VARIOUS OF BILL COSBY BEING INTERVIEWED COSBY WITH PLAYBOY FOUNDER HUGH HEFNER BILL COSBY ON STAGE WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (FILE) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF BILL COSBY AND WIFE CAMILLE COSBY
  • Embargoed: 27th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA1ECW3RW0FAMVBMU2RNRVH719Y
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: PLEASE NOTE: SOUNDBITES CONTAIN GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS
    Three more women accused comedian Bill Cosby of sexual assault on Wednesday (August 12), providing detailed allegations of abuse they said the veteran television star subjected them to decades ago.
    Colleen Hughes and Linda Ridgeway Whitedeer said Cosby had sexually assaulted them in the early 1970s, while Eden Tirl said he sexually harassed her on "The Cosby Show" set in 1989.
    The women were speaking at a news conference hosted by celebrity attorney Gloria Allred, who represents 21 of the more than 40 women who have come forward in the past year accusing Cosby of drugging and sexually assaulting them.
    New York Magazine interviewed and profiled 35 of Cosby's accusers in a July cover story that featured an empty chair next to the rows of women. The chair sparked questions on how many more women may have similar allegations against the comedian.
    Ridgeway Whitedeer said Cosby forced her into a sex act in 1971 when she met him for an interview on a movie set. At the time, she said, she was an aspiring actress and had been married for a while to a television agent who also worked for the comedian.
    "When Cosby was done, there was a horrible mess of semen all over my face, my clothes, and in my hair. He took out a Kleenex to try and wipe off my face. I was bordering between vomiting and passing out. He was mumbling that I had been blessed with his semen as if it was holy water," said Ridgeway Whitedeer.
    Hughes, a former American Airlines flight attendant, said she encountered Cosby on a flight to Los Angeles in the early 1970s, and he accompanied her to her hotel. She said she lost consciousness for a few hours after drinking champagne with the comedian.
    "My clothes were thrown all over the room and I felt semen on the small of my back and all over me. It was disgusting. Bill obviously did not use a condom."
    Tirl, a former model, said she was guest-starring as a police officer on "The Cosby Show" in 1989 when Cosby sexually harassed her in his dressing room.
    Representatives for Cosby did not respond for comment on Wednesday, and Cosby has never been charged.
    Los Angeles police are currently conducting a criminal investigation into a complaint brought against Cosby, who has canceled TV projects and live shows due to the momentum of allegations.
    Last month, Cosby lost a bid to fend off a lawsuit that accused him of sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles in 1974. He will answer questions under oath at a deposition on October 9.
  • Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register