Disgraced comedian Bill Cosby is facing a new civil lawsuit, alleging that he drugged and sexually assaulted a teenager in 1986.
Filed in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas, this marks the latest legal action against the former “Cosby Show” star, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by over 60 women. Cosby, 86, previously spent nearly three years in prison after being convicted of sexual assault, but his conviction was overturned in 2021.
The lawsuit centers around Chelan Lasha, who claims that Cosby befriended her when she was 15, offering assistance with her modeling career.
Bill Cosby Faces Lawsuit (Credits: The New York Times)
According to the suit, when Lasha was 17, Cosby invited her to a suite at the Las Vegas Hilton under the guise of a professional photoshoot. After taking headshots, Cosby allegedly gave her a pill, purportedly for sinus issues, and a glass of Amaretto. The lawsuit contends that Cosby then sexually assaulted Lasha while she was incapacitated.
The legal document describes how Lasha, after being drugged, was unable to move as Cosby touched her inappropriately. The suit details explicit acts and claims that Lasha, who had been a virgin prior to the assault, suffered lasting trauma. After waking up, she alleged that Cosby gave her money and instructed her to leave.
The lawsuit asserts that Lasha experienced severe consequences, including being “black-balled” from the entertainment industry and enduring long-term problems such as drug addiction.
Cosby’s publicist, Andrew Wyatt, dismissed the latest allegations as “100% ridiculous and ludicrous.” He pointed to Lasha’s previous testimony during the 2018 trial, where she accused “Dr. Huxtable” of rape and drugging. Wyatt urged media outlets to scrutinize the credibility of the women making allegations.
This lawsuit adds to the numerous legal challenges Cosby has faced in recent years. Nine women filed a lawsuit in Nevada in 2021, accusing him of sexual battery, assault, and abuse between 1979 and 1992.
In 2022, a Los Angeles jury awarded $500,000 to a woman who claimed Cosby sexually abused her at the Playboy Mansion when she was 16 in 1975.
Chelan Lasha’s lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages for sexual abuse and exploitation of a minor, battery, assault, infliction of emotional distress, and false imprisonment.
