A new accuser has filed suit against Bill Cosby, claiming he used his “power, fame, and prestige” to sexually abuse her.
Singer Morganne Picard also names Kaufman Astoria Studios, the Carsey-Werner Company, and NBC Universal Media in the lawsuit, Fox News reports. The co-defendants, she said, “enabled and aided” Cosby’s assaults so they could continue benefitting from his stardom.
Picard, who began her career in France, says she met Cosby when he invited her to the set of “The Cosby Show” in about 1987. According to court documents, she became close with the comedian and his wife and saw Cosby as “a father figure” who also encouraged her to drink alcoholic beverages. She said she blacked out several times.
She said that on one occasion, she woke up at a “hotel room, naked, with soreness” after drinking at Cosby’s home.
“Today was the first step towards obtaining some measure of justice for Ms. Picard,” a lawyer for the singer told Fo. “We want to thank New York State for passing the Adult Survivors Act, which allows Ms. Picard and other people who were sexually abused as adults to bring a civil lawsuit until November 23, 2023, regardless of when the abuse occurred. We look forward to holding Mr. Cosby and his enablers responsible for their actions.”
Andrew Wyatt, Cosby’s attorney, told Fox that “it is disappointing to see that these alleged distractors are able to monetize false allegations against Mr. Cosby.”
Cosby was convicted of sexual assault in 2018 but was released from prison three years later when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court threw out the conviction because the prosecutor’s predecessor had agreed not to charge the actor.
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[Featured image: FILE – This June 30, 2021, file photo shows Bill Cosby gesturing outside his home in Elkins Park, Pa., after being released from prison. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)]