Current:Home > NewsJoan Tarshis, one of Bill Cosby's 1st accusers, sues actor for alleged sexual assault-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Joan Tarshis, one of Bill Cosby's 1st accusers, sues actor for alleged sexual assault
View Date:2024-12-23 14:41:57
A woman who said Bill Cosby sexually assaulted her when she was a young comedy writer more than 50 years ago filed a lawsuit against the actor Thursday under a soon-to-expire New York law that gave victims of sexual abuse a one-year window for claims that would otherwise be barred by time limits.
Joan Tarshis initially came forward with allegations against Cosby in 2014 that are repeated in the new lawsuit. Tarshis said Cosby drugged her and forced her to perform oral sex on him in 1969 or 1970, and then drugged and raped her during another encounter a year or two later.
The New York resident was living in California at the time of the first assault and had met Cosby through a mutual friend while he was starring in "The Bill Cosby Show," according to the lawsuit, filed in state Supreme Court in New York City.
A spokesperson for Cosby did not address the specifics of Tarshis's claims.
"Diddy, LA Reid, Steven Tyler, and now they circle back to this," spokesperson Andrew Wyatt said, referring to others recently sued under New York's Adult Survivors Act. "When is it going to stop?"
A list of the 60 Bill Sodby accusers,their reactions to his prison sentence
Joan Tarshis was one of Cosby's 1st accusers
Cosby, 86, has been accused of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment by more than 60 women. He has denied all allegations involving sex crimes. He was the first celebrity tried and convicted in the #MeToo era and spent nearly three years at a state prison near Philadelphia before a higher court overturned the conviction and released him in 2021.
Tarshis was among the first accusers to speak publicly about Cosby, whom she met when she was 19 and just breaking into comedy writing. An interview she did with CNN newsman Don Lemon soon after she came forward drew a flurry of attention on social media, and an apology from Lemon. While on-air, the host suggested Tarshis could have bitten Cosby on his genitals during the first assault, something Tarshis said she hadn't thought of.
Tarshis previously sued Cosby in Massachusetts, where Cosby had a home. She was among seven women who filed defamation claims after Cosby branded them liars. The cases were settled in 2019.
The new lawsuit alleges assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and false imprisonment. It seeks unspecified damages.
Cosby had been 'a father figure':Woman accuses him of drugging, sexually assaulting her in the '80s
Tarshis says she 'feared for her life' in lawsuit against Cosby
In it, Tarshis said Cosby invited her to meet with him at the studio lot where he was filming his show, under the pretense of working on a skit she was writing. Once in his bungalow, Tarshis said she fell unconscious after accepting a drink from Cosby and awoke to find him undressing her before forcing her to perform oral sex.
"Ms Tarshis was mortified and feared for her life," and returned to New York without telling anyone what happened, according to the lawsuit.
She next heard from Cosby in 1971, when he called her home, spoke with her mother, and invited her to his show at Westbury Music Fair, the lawsuit said.
"Though Ms. Tarshis was fearful at the prospect of seeing Cosby again, she had not yet told anyone, including her mother, of the prior sexual assault and she reluctantly agreed to meet with Cosby at the insistence of her mother," according to the lawsuit.
She said she lost consciousness in a limousine Cosby had arranged for them and awoke the next morning in a bed next to Cosby, who she said had undressed and raped her.
The Adult Survivors Act is set to expire next week.
If you are a survivor of sexual assault, RAINN offers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE & online.rainn.org).
veryGood! (23435)
Related
- Rare Alo Yoga Flash Sale: Don’t Miss 60% Off Deals With Styles as Low as $5
- Endgame's Omid Scobie Denies Naming Anyone Who Allegedly Speculated on Archie's Skin Color
- Beloved California doughnut shop owner reflects on childhood in Japanese internment camp
- Suspected drug cartel gunmen abduct 7 Mexican immigration agents at gunpoint in Cancun
- 'Gladiator 2' review: Yes, we are entertained again by outrageous sequel
- Thinking about a new iPhone? Try a factory reset instead to make your old device feel new
- Cher Reveals Her Honest Thoughts About Aging
- South Africa march demands a permanent Gaza cease-fire on day of solidarity with Palestinians
- 2025 NFL Draft order: Updated first round picks after Week 10 games
- Warren Buffett's sounding board at Berkshire Hathaway, Charlie Munger, dies at 99
Ranking
- Elton John Details Strict Diet in His 70s
- OPEC+ suppliers struggle to agree on cuts to oil production even as prices tumble
- Taylor Swift is Spotify's most-streamed artist. Who follows her at the top may surprise you.
- Hearing in Minnesota will determine if man imprisoned for murder was wrongfully convicted
- Today’s Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker and More React to Craig Melvin Replacing Hoda Kotb as Co-Anchor
- Construction companies in fined connection with worker’s death at Lambeau Field, Packers stadium
- Three songs for when your flight is delayed
- Jonathan Majors' domestic violence trial to begin: What to know about actor's charges
Recommendation
-
Is Veterans Day a federal holiday? Here's what to know for November 11
-
Top diplomats arrive in North Macedonia for security meeting as some boycott Russia’s participation
-
Senate Majority Leader Schumer warns that antisemitism is on the rise as he pushes for Israel aid
-
Pope Francis cancels trip to COP28 climate conference in Dubai due to illness
-
Jon Gruden joins Barstool Sports three years after email scandal with NFL
-
Whale hunting: Inside Deutsche Bank's pursuit of business with Trump
-
Biden administration proposes biggest changes to lead pipe rules in more than three decades
-
Suicide deaths reached record high in 2022, but decreased for kids and young adults, CDC data shows