Bill Cosby has made more news of late for alleged sexual assaults than he has for his comedy. Now, two more women have joined a defamation suit first filed in December by Tamara Green. Green accused Bill Cosby of sexually assaulting her back in the 1970s.
The two new plaintiffs in the defamation case are Therese Serignese and Linda Traitz. They both claim that Cosby publicly called them liars through statements issued by his representatives. Bill Cosby is facing a series of accusations, which he has called “unsubstantiated.”
Joseph Cammarata is the lawyer representing the three women. He says the civil action will allow them to have their allegations heard even though criminal statutes of limitation have expired.
The statute of limitations restricts the amount of time in which legal action can be taken after an alleged crime has taken place.
The amended complaint was filed on Monday in the US district court in Springfield, in western Massachusetts. Bill Cosby has a home in nearby Shelburne Falls.
“The lawsuit provides an opportunity for women who claim to have been harmed to have their day in court in a forum where the truth can be tried,” Mr. Cammarata said.
Two women accusing Bill Cosby of sexual offenses decades ago join defamation lawsuit http://t.co/PNLfWbExWj pic.twitter.com/1pdsO9yrxb
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 6, 2015
Cosby’s publicist David Brokaw and lawyer Martin Singer did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday.
Mr. Singer said earlier that he expected to prevail in the original defamation case.
Ms. Green, who first spoke out regarding her allegations of being both drugged and abused by Bill Cosby back in 2005, said in her claim that Mr. Brokaw had made statements intended to expose her to public contempt and ridicule.
Ms. Serignese and Ms. Traitz allege in the amended complaint that when they came forward in November of last year that Mr. Singer issued responses for Bill Cosby, that said the two women were lying.
Bill Cosby is, of course, best known as Dr. Cliff Huxtable, a character on The Cosby Show. The immensely popular TV show aired from 1984 to 1992. The comedian is facing a number of allegations that date back to the 1970s.
Some of Bill Cosby’s stand-up performances around the U.S. have been cancelled as a result of these allegations. He has responded to the allegations, repeatedly calling them “fantastical” and “uncorroborated.”
Is Bill Cosby going to face a judge in this defamation case? Will word of his alleged actions finally be reviewed by the justice system? And if so, do these women stand a chance of winning?