LOS ANGELES — Three more women went public on Wednesday afternoon in Los Angeles accusing Bill Cosby of sexually assaulting them in the '70s and '80s as their lawyer proposed two ways the beleaguered comedian could deal with the mounting accusations he has been facing for weeks.
Asking if Cosby wants to be remembered as a "saint or a sexual predator" and claiming her office has been flooded with calls from women who say they, too, were assaulted by the comedian, civil rights lawyer Gloria Allred outlined two options for Cosby.
Allred said Cosby should consider waiving the statute of limitations that prohibits the women from filing lawsuits against him. But if he "doesn't want to subject himself to scrutiny," Cosby should consider establishing a $100 million fund for victims who would appear before a panel of retired judges who would then determine if their claims have merits and how they should be compensated. Cosby would also appear before the confidential panel, Allred said.
"There is a huge cloud on his reputation and legacy," Allred said. "If he believes all of the women are being untruthful, this is his opportunity to prove it. We challenge Mr. Cosby to end this nightmare for himself and the alleged victims by accepting either of the options."
One of the three women, Beth Ferrier, of Colorado, was listed as a Jane Doe victim in a 2005 lawsuit filed by the former director of operations for Temple's women's basketball team who sued Cosby for drugging her and assaulting her in 2004. The second woman, Helen Hayes, said that she met Cosby at a Clint Eastwood celebrity tennis tournament in Pebble Beach, California, in 1973. The third woman only disclosed her first name, Chelan. She said she met Cosby when she was 17 because her stepmother wrote to him to tell him that Chelan wanted to be a model.
In recent weeks, 20 other women have come forward to accuse Cosby of sexual assault. Cosby has not been criminally charged and has denied all of allegations through his attorney. On Tuesday, Judy Huth, now 55, filed a lawsuit against Cosby in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging that he sexually assaulted her when she was 15 in the Playboy Mansion.
On Tuesday night, Cosby used social media to break his silence to thank Whoopi Goldberg for her support of him on "The View." On Wednesday morning, he also tweeted his gratitude to Jill Scott.
IN-DEPTH
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