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Five women who have long accused the comedian of sexually assaulting them earlier in their careers have brought new claims against him.
According to TMZ, the women filed a lawsuit against Cosby on Monday in New York state court. The complaint accuses the 85-year-old of assault, violence, causing emotional distress, and false imprisonment. It also names NBCUniversal as a party involved in the allegations made against Cosby.
The accusations were brought under the recently passed Adult Survivors Act in New York, which grants victims of sexual abuse a one-year window in which to bring claims that would otherwise be barred by the statute of limitations.
The five plaintiffs include Jewel Gittens, Jennifer Thompson, Cindra Ladd, a former Hollywood executive who earlier accused Cosby of raping her in 1969, and actresses Lili Bernard and Eden Tirl, all of whom made appearances on The Cosby Show.
“Each plaintiff was sexually assaulted and battered by defendant Bill Cosby in the same or similar manner when he used his power, fame, and prestige, including the power, fame and prestige given to him by [the] defendants … to misuse his enormous power in such a nefarious, horrific way,” the suit states.
Lawyer Jordan Rutsky, who represents all five women, said, “It was well-known that Bill Cosby would regularly take young women into his dressing room, and when you read the complaint, you’ll see there were instances where staff saw this happening and even encouraged the plaintiff to submit.”
The information was released a year and a half after Cosby’s release from prison. Following dozens of women accusing him of rape and sexual assault, he served more than two years of a 3-to-10-year sentence.