Bill Cosby under fire after rape allegations

Mitch Henessey

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(CNN) -- It seems as if every day brings another allegation that further dismantles Bill Cosby's image as the jovial, pudding-loving patriarch whose family-friendly brand of comedy tickled successive generations.

Though the star has vehemently denied most of the accusations that he drugged and sexually assaulted young women seeking career guidance, the stories are taking their toll on his reputation and bankroll.

The latest story comes from Frank Scotti, who says Cosby asked him to invite young women, including models, to his dressing room in 1989-90, while Scotti was a facilities manager for NBC in New York City.

Scotti, now 90, says he was asked by Cosby to pay some of them by way of money orders with amounts up to $2,000 a month.

Neither NBC nor Cosby lawyer Martin Singe returned CNN requests for comment.

The most recent hit to the pocketbook came Monday, when Cosby's Saturday performance at a theater in Yakima, Washington, was canceled.

The stories of Cosby's purported misdeeds have been around for about a decade, but they recently got new life when a comedian took aim at him and a social media stunt inviting fans to meme the comic went awry.

Cosby, 77, has never faced a judge or jury, let alone been convicted, over the allegations. But it's clear many people have already tried him in their minds.

When an NPR reporter gave him a chance to deny the allegations, Cosby provided an awkward moment of radio silence, refusing to answer the question. Given the same chance by The Associated Press, he offered no comment. When the interview concluded, he told a reporter that asking him about the allegations was a mark of low integrity and said he'd be appreciative if that portion of the interview was "scuttled."

On Friday, Cosby told Florida Today he won't respond to "innuendos," referring to the women's accusations.

"I know people are tired of me not saying anything, but a guy doesn't have to answer to innuendos. People should fact-check. People shouldn't have to go through that and shouldn't answer to innuendos," Cosby told the newspaper in a backstage interview before his sellout performance at the King Center for the Performing Arts in Melbourne, Florida.

At least 15 women have spoken out to various media outlets, accusing Cosby of sexual misconduct.

Here are 12 who have spoken with CNN, spoken on camera about their allegations or been the subject of responses from Cosby's attorneys:

Victoria Valentino

Playboy bunny Victoria Valentino says her friend Francesca Emerson first introduced her to Cosby hoping to help her get work on his show "I Spy" in the late '60s.

Valentino says after an interview in his trailer, Cosby invited her and a different friend to dinner.

They drank red wine at dinner, where she says Cosby offered her pills to "cheer up."

She remembers feeling "stoned," slurring her words.

She went with him to a place where he had memorabilia, she said. She described it as a space in an apartment building that was like an office, with two love seats and no working phone. It was a "ballers pad," she said.

At some point during the evening, she says, she was feeling "totally out of it" when she saw Cosby attempting to advance on her passed-out friend. She says she began reaching out to Cosby to pull him off her friend when Cosby pushed her down, first pushing himself near her mouth, before turning her around and raping her.

On why she never spoke out then about the incident, Valentino told CNN, "As a playmate I thought, who would believe me?"

"I couldn't bring myself to jump into the fire."

Emerson told CNN that Valentino told her about the alleged incident with Cosby shortly after it happened.

She said Valentino at the time was in a position to be taken advantage of because she was vulnerable and had just lost her son. Valentino told CNN that at the time she was deeply grieving the loss of her 7-year-old son, who had drowned in a pool at her music manager's house.
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Emerson, now 73, said Cosby was never inappropriate with her; in fact, he once gave her $1,000 after she told him she was signing up for food stamps.

Valentino says her daughters knew about this incident. She wrote a story about it and thought about publishing it, but then held back.

"I can't hear his name ... something inside me shrinks and sinks when I think of him," she said.

CNN repeatedly reached out to Cosby's attorney over the weekend for comment regarding Valentino's allegations but did not hear back.

Linda Joy Traitz

Linda Joy Traitz has a criminal record in Florida and spent time in prison on a conviction for drug trafficking, according to state records.

Cosby's lawyer, Martin D. Singer, passed on her lengthy rap sheet as an indication of her character.

But Traitz spoke openly about her record to CNN, including her last arrest in 2008, which led to more than three years in prison for drug trafficking and possession.

"When I got sent to prison ... it saved my life," she said. "It was a great experience for me." It ended her addiction to pain pills, and she's been clean ever since, she said.

Numerous arrests speckle Traitz's rap sheet, including on suspicion of theft, battery and types of deception -- fraud and impersonation -- often in connection with drug possession.

She said Cosby pushed himself on her when she worked as a waitress at a restaurant in Los Angeles that Cosby co-owned when she met him in 1969.

Billboard Magazine mentioned Cosby co-owned a restaurant in a 1970 article.

Traitz was either 18 or 19 at the time, she said; she did not recall exactly. But she was fresh out of high school and new to the city, she said.

Cosby offered her a ride home but on the way, told her he'd like to swing by the beach with her in his Rolls Royce, she said. They parked, and he offered her drugs, an array of brightly colored pills, "to relax," she alleged.

She said no, a few times. "He kept offering me the pills," she alleged, and it made her feel uncomfortable. She claimed that he then groped her chest, pushing her down in the seat and toward the door, and tried to lie on top of her.

She got out of the car and ran, she said. She added that she was "absolutely not" raped. He tried to calm her, she said, then drove her home in silence.

Cosby's attorney said her account was not true.

"Ms. Traitz is the latest example of people coming out of the woodwork with fabricated or unsubstantiated stories about my client," Singer said in a statement.

Louisa Moritz

"We've reached a point of absurdity."

That was the reaction of Cosby's attorney when former actress Louisa Moritz told her story to entertainment website TMZ.

"The stories are getting more ridiculous. Now this woman is claiming that something occurred more than 40 years ago and that while she was waiting in the dressing room to appear on the Tonight Show, my client forced his penis into her mouth," the statement read.

That is what TMZ reported that Moritz alleged.
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Is silence good? Cosby rape allegations

She was in the green room at NBC in New York when Cosby paid her a visit, she alleges. He offered to turn her into a "major star through his direction," she told TMZ.

Then he forced himself on her, she alleged.

Moritz was known for her roles mostly as a blond bombshell, according to her IMDb profile. She is probably best known for her role as a prostitute in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

In real life, she was anything but mindless, IMDb wrote. She was a licensed lawyer in California and made the dean's list in law school.

Singer also called her credibility into question over disciplinary action the state bar took against her over a legal fee.

She received as a disciplinary measure a "public reproval" in 2013 after taking a legal fee for work that was not performed. She refunded the fee after the client complained to the bar, according to documents.

In September, Moritz, who is 68, did not respond to a notice of disciplinary charges and as a result, a court recommended her disbarment.

CNN made multiple calls to numbers listed for Moritz, and has not been able to reach her.

Andrea Constand

In January 2004, Constand, then a 31-year-old staffer for the women's basketball team at Temple University -- Cosby's alma mater -- was at the comedian's Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, home when Cosby provided her medication that made her dizzy, she alleged the following year.

She later woke up to find her bra undone and her clothes in disarray, she further alleged to police in her home province of Ontario, Canada, in January 2005.

Though Cosby's attorney initially called Constand's claim "utterly preposterous" and no charges were filed, Cosby settled a civil suit with Constand that alleged 13 Jane Does had similar stories of sexual abuse.

When Cosby attorney John Schmitt last week sent out a blanket denial of several allegations that have cropped up recently, he later amended his denial to say he wasn't referring to Constand, who resolved her differences "to the mutual satisfaction of Mr. Cosby and Ms. Constand years ago."

Therese Serignese

Florida nurse Therese Serignese, 57, told ABC's 20/20 that she was a 19-year-old model visiting Las Vegas when Cosby handed her pills in a private dressing room following a performance.

"Take these," Cosby told her, according to Serignese.

After consuming the pills, she remembered "feeling drugged, and I was kind of leaning forward, and he was behind me having sex with me. And I -- I remember it because it was not good."

Serignese never made public accusations in the immediate aftermath. She explained her decision in an article she wrote in Friday's New York Daily News.

"Cosby was everywhere. Everyone thought he was a great family man. I knew he wasn't. I just couldn't prove it with anything but my word. There was no video camera or DNA evidence. No one else had accused him publicly yet," Serignese wrote.

She added: "He didn't drink or take the pills. They could test him, and he'd be clean."

Serignese says she was going to testify to support Constand in her civil lawsuit against Cosby.

"When the first victim came forward in 2005, I was angry that he called her a liar. I wanted to back her up. But even then I worried about the repercussions. I had younger children then," Serignese wrote.

"Ten years ago, the climate still wasn't right. We would have all been humiliated. Now, I could see it was time, and I would be safer. I wouldn't be alone. It took me 38 years to feel safe," she said.

Serignese told "20/20" that she called Cosby and saw him again after the initial encounter. When asked whether she had sex with him again, she said, "I probably did."

When asked whether that sex was consensual, Serignese said: "Oh, that's an interesting way to phrase it, isn't that? I would say I never was an active participant in any sexual intercourse with him.

"I never gave the impression that I wanted sex with him whatsoever. I would say, from my perspective, that I was used," she said.

In a general response to the accusations, Cosby's attorney Singer late Friday called the increasing number of claims of sexual assault against the legendary comedian "ridiculous" and said the media should stop airing "unsubstantiated, fantastical stories."

Singer said in a written statement sent to CNN that it defies common sense that "so many people would have said nothing, done nothing, and made no reports to law enforcement or asserted civil claims if they thought they had been assaulted over a span of so many years."

Joan Tarshis

Tarshis was a 19-year-old actress in 1969 when, she says, she met Cosby in Los Angeles. The two became friendly. One night after taping his sitcom, he invited her back to his bungalow and fixed her a "redeye" (a Bloody Mary topped with beer), she alleged this month.

"The next thing I remember was coming to on his couch while being undressed," she told Hollywood Elsewhere. "I was sickened by what was happening to me and shocked that this man I had idolized was now raping me. Of course I told no one."

It was the first of two similar incidents, said Tarshis, who is now a journalist and publicist.

Carla Ferrigno

The now-wife of "The Incredible Hulk" star Lou Ferrigno told CNN that Cosby forcibly kissed her at his home in 1967.

Carla Ferrigno said she told her husband, whom she married in 1980, about the incident about five years ago and he advised her to stay silent.

"I am going public (now) because I am just one more person who puts the nail in his coffin," she said.

A Cosby lawyer called the media coverage of the allegation "utter nonsense."

"This continuing pattern of attacks on Mr. Cosby has entered the realm of the ridiculous, with a purported 'forceful kiss' at a party in 1967, nearly 50 years ago, being treated as a current 'news story' and grossly mischaracterized as a 'sexual assault,'" attorney Singer said in a statement.

Carla Ferrigno was an 18-year-old Playboy bunny when she went with a male friend to Cosby's house. The comedian and his wife went to a movie with Ferrigno and her date, then returned to Cosby's home in Beverly Hills.

She told CNN that Cosby's wife disappeared while the other three played pool.

After her date left the room, Cosby grabbed her, pulled her to him and kissed her, she said.

"It was so unexpected and so rough. He kissed me right in the mouth."

Tamara Green

In 1970, attorney Green was an aspiring model in her early 20s. At a working lunch with Cosby and others, she was suffering from the flu and Cosby "went into some sort of office area at the back of the restaurant and he produced two capsules in his hand," she told Matt Lauer of the "Today" show. She said they made her feel "great" at first, but then left her "almost literally face down on the table of this restaurant."

Cosby took her to her apartment and started "groping me and kissing me and touching me and handling me and you know, taking off my clothes," Green said. After telling Cosby "that if he didn't kill me and he tried to rape me, it was going to go very badly," he left two $100 bills on her coffee table and left, she said in her 2005 allegation.

A lawyer for Cosby told the show, "Miss Green's allegations are absolutely false. Mr. Cosby does not know the name Tamara Green or (maiden name) Tamara Lucier, and the incident she describes did not happen."

Janice Dickinson

Cosby was a familiar face in 1982, not only for his comedy, but also for his Jell-O and Coca-Cola commercials. Dickinson was a supermodel in her late 20s.

Dickinson alleged this week that she and Cosby had dinner in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and he gave her a glass of red wine and a pill she believed was for menstrual cramps.

"The last thing I remember was Bill Cosby in a patchwork robe, dropping his robe and getting on top of me. And I remember a lot of pain," she told "Entertainment Tonight."

Cosby's attorney, Singer, said in a statement that Dickinson's allegation was a "fabricated lie" that contradicted what she wrote in her autobiography and what she said during a 2002 New York Observer interview.

Beth Ferrier

Ferrier told media outlets in 2005 that she met Cosby in Denver in the mid-'80s. He mentored her for a time, but one night, she said, he gave her a drugged cappuccino.

"I woke up in my car in the parking lot with my clothes all a mess," she said. "I wondered, I still wonder, 'What did he do with me? Why was my bra unhooked?'"

The two later conducted an "on-and-off consensual affair" that lasted several years, she alleged to People magazine.

"He kept luring me in," Ferrier told the magazine. "I felt like I couldn't say no."

At the time, Cosby's publicist told People that he had no comment.

Barbara Bowman

In 1985, when Cosby was starring in his eponymous No. 1 TV show as a doting, wisecracking dad and doctor, Bowman, a 17-year-old model and actress, met Cosby in Denver. She came forward with her allegations in 2006 and recently wrote a column in The Washington Post questioning why no one listened to her the first time.

According to Bowman's account, Cosby visited her numerous times, giving her acting lessons and "flying me around to major cities to events," she told Newsweek. After she turned 18, Cosby "assaulted (me) a number of times." In an incident in New York, Bowman "had one glass of wine and then I blacked out. I woke up throwing up in the toilet. ... I was wearing a white T-shirt that wasn't mine, and he was in a white robe."

In an incident in Atlantic City, an angry Cosby "got on top of me and started taking his pants off and I was screaming and crying and begging him to leave me alone and I fought so hard and I was screaming so loud that he got mad and threw me aside and got away from me, and that was it."

The Cosby camp replied, "Over the last several weeks, decade-old, discredited allegations against Mr. Cosby have resurfaced. The fact that they are being repeated does not make them true. Mr. Cosby does not intend to dignify these allegations with any comment."

Kristina Ruehli

One of the latest women to accuse Cosby, Ruehli alleges the comedian gave her cocktails, which she believes contained drugs, during a 1965 visit to his home.

At the time, Ruehli was a secretary for a talent agency that had Cosby as a client. She said she was invited to the home to celebrate a taping of "Hollywood Palace." Ruehli says she and an unnamed actress were the only attendees at the party.

She says she went unconscious after consuming drinks, and later woke up to find Cosby attempting to force her mouth onto his pubic area. She said she pulled away to vomit and drove herself home. It was the last time she would see Cosby, she told CNN.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/20/showbiz/bill-cosby-allegations-repercussions/index.html

Oddly enough, the firestorm for all this started, when comedian Hannibal Buress took a shot at Cosby. The internet exploded with memes, tweets, and other social media responses, and the rest is history. Here's an excerpt from another CNN article:

The stories of Cosby's purported crimes have been around for about a decade, but they recently got new life when a comedian took aim at him and a social media stunt inviting fans to meme the comic went awry.

In late October, Hannibal Buress bluntly attacked what he perceived as Cosby's "smuggest old black man public persona" by saying, "Yeah, but you rape women, Bill Cosby, so turn the crazy down a couple notches. 'I don't curse onstage.' Well, yeah, you're (a) rapist, so I'll take you saying lots of m*****f*****s on 'Bill Cosby: Himself' if you weren't a rapist."

Earlier this month, Cosby -- or whoever was in charge of his social media -- put out a challenge with a jovial picture of Cosby in a cap: "Go ahead. Meme me! #cosbymeme."

The Internet immediately reacted.

"Claire, have you seen my ... nevermind, found my raping hat!" tweeted Trill Withers over the cap picture.

"My two favorite things (--) Jell-O pudding & rape," tweeted E.J. Coughlin over a photo of Cosby smiling.

Cosby's original tweet was quickly pulled from the Web, which led to this conclusion from Jensen Karp: "If anyone is looking for a job, the Social Media Manager position for @BillCosby is about to open up."

The latest piece of news involves a story about Frank Scotti, a former facilities manager for NBC in New York City. According to Scotti, Cosby asked him to pay up to $2,000 a month in money orders to invite young women and models to his dressing room.

This is nothing new, because stories about Cosby's alleged sexual assaults have been around for ten years or so, and recently, at least sixteen women have publicly accused Cosby in some form of media.

With most of the stories dating back to the 80's and 60's, and some of the women in their late 50's and early 70's, one of the bigger questions is, why come out now?

Reading the stories from the women, they feared no one would believe them or take them seriously, when the alleged incidents occurred, because they're accusing Bill Cosby of rape. Instantly, the thought process is, they're nothing but shameless gold diggers, who are looking for a quick paycheck. That's the perception. But what about now? If you take away peace of mind, and lifting a mental burden, what do they have to gain at this point? Fifteen minutes of fame?

To add more fuel to the fire, the stories from the accused women share one reoccurring trend: consistency. Pills, Playboy Bunnies, young models, secluded rooms, alcohol. Of course, the follow up question would be, why would you take suspicious pills from someone else? It all goes back to the belief of Cosby targeting young and vulnerable women, who felt comfortable trusting Cosby, someone with the persona to fit the mold of a father figure.

Cosby is choosing to stay quiet, he refuses to respond to "innuendos," and Cosby's legal team continues to vehemently deny the allegations. Response or no response, Cosby is feeling the backlash, and it's not limited to the public's response, Twitter, and internet memes. Netflix postponed a stand-up comedy special starring Cosby, NBC pulled the plug on a planned comedy show starring Cosby, TV Land quietly removed reruns of The Cosby Show from their scheduled programming, and to add to that, TV Land deleted The Cosby Show's sitcom page from their website. Also, at least seven of Cosby's live comedy shows have been canceled recently.

Although, Cosby recently received two standing ovations during a show from a sold out crowd in Melbourne, Florida. On top of that, Raven-Symone, who portrayed Olivia Kendall on The Cosby Show, denied recent rumors of sexual abuse, when she was a small child on the show.

There's no denying Cosby will have his supporters. Some will see a witch-hunt for a withered 77-year old man, and the accusers are just trying to destroy someone, who's had (fort he most part) a squeaky clean reputation for decades to finish a personal vendetta. When you think of Dr. Huxtable, his television shows, how Cosby carries himself in interviews, and his style of comedy, you don't think of someone, who's living a double life with a dark side.

There's no sure way to know if Cosby will make the decision to open up and talk about all this or if he'll issue a formal statement, or if he's hoping this will all go away quietly, but one thing's for sure, the accusers are not instantly dismissed as liars or frauds. Sure, you have doubters out there, but it's not the overwhelming majority.

In the end, we have to wait and see how this will unfold with more time, but times have changed with other celebrity scandals involving sports stars, actors and actresses, talk show hosts, and other mainstream personalities and public figures. Now, everyone knows anything is possible, and we might see one person or persona in public or in front of the cameras, but behind closed doors, there's a realistic possibility of carefully guarded secrets and a double-life.

All thoughts and discussion regarding this article are welcome.
 
Oddly enough, the firestorm for all this started, when comedian Hannibal Buress took a shot at Cosby. The internet exploded with memes, tweets, and other social media responses, and the rest is history. Here's an excerpt from another CNN article:

Many things are true, widely known and not discussed. Look at Rolf Harris, Jimmy Saville, Cee Lo Green, R Kelly, dozens of MPs in the UK...

The latest piece of news involves a story about Frank Scotti, a former facilities manager for NBC in New York City. According to Scotti, Cosby asked him to pay up to $2,000 a month in money orders to invite young women and models to his dressing room.

This is nothing new, because stories about Cosby's alleged sexual assaults have been around for ten years or so, and recently, at least sixteen women have publicly accused Cosby in some form of media.

With most of the stories dating back to the 80's and 60's, and some of the women in their late 50's and early 70's, one of the bigger questions is, why come out now?

Do you know what percentage of sexual assaults go unreported? You know a big reason why? Because the survivor often believes no one will buy their story. If I told you five years ago that Bill Cosby sexually assaulted 16 or more women would you believe me?

Reading the stories from the women, they feared no one would believe them or take them seriously, when the alleged incidents occurred,

Which is the exact same reason that a lot of rapists commonly seen as 'respectable people' get away with it for years.

because they're accusing Bill Cosby of rape. Instantly, the thought process is, they're nothing but shameless gold diggers, who are looking for a quick paycheck.

The people with that perception are fucking idiots. Less than 10% of reported rapes are false. One in four women have been sexually abused. Do the god damn maths.

That's the perception. But what about now? If you take away peace of mind, and lifting a mental burden, what do they have to gain at this point? Fifteen minutes of fame?

... are you defending Bill Cosby? Seriously?

Also, you can't fucking remove piece of mind or lifting of mental burdans because that's a fucking huge reason. These women were raped. They've been living with that secret for most of their lives. Now they're able to talk about it (which in itself is a good thing. see also: therapy) and people are listening and believing them. They aren't doing it for the money, that's icing on the cake.

To add more fuel to the fire, the stories from the accused women share one reoccurring trend: consistency.

Which, ya know is usually pretty damning.

Pills, Playboy Bunnies, young models, secluded rooms, alcohol. Of course, the follow up question would be, why would you take suspicious pills from someone else?

... something like half a million people are doing just that on a monthly basis. Not many people make their own ecstacy. Also, it's not suspicious tablets. Bill Cosby would never drug and rape someone.

It all goes back to the belief of Cosby targeting young and vulnerable women, who felt comfortable trusting Cosby, someone with the persona to fit the mold of a father figure.

And it worked.

Cosby is choosing to stay quiet, he refuses to respond to "innuendos," and Cosby's legal team continues to vehemently deny the allegations.

So did Lance Armstrong.

Response or no response, Cosby is feeling the backlash, and it's not limited to the public's response, Twitter, and internet memes. Netflix postponed a stand-up comedy special starring Cosby, NBC pulled the plug on a planned comedy show starring Cosby, TV Land quietly removed reruns of The Cosby Show from their scheduled programming, and to add to that, TV Land deleted The Cosby Show's sitcom page from their website. Also, at least seven of Cosby's live comedy shows have been canceled recently.

I have a hard time feeling sorry for him.

Although, Cosby recently received two standing ovations during a show from a sold out crowd in Melbourne, Florida. On top of that, Raven-Symone, who portrayed Olivia Kendall on The Cosby Show, denied recent rumors of sexual abuse, when she was a small child on the show.

And Darren Wilson got millions of dollars in donations. That doesn't mean he didn't shoot an unarmed person.

There's no denying Cosby will have his supporters. Some will see a witch-hunt for a withered 77-year old man, and the accusers are just trying to destroy someone, who's had (fort he most part) a squeaky clean reputation for decades to finish a personal vendetta.

I repeat, those people are fucking morons.

When you think of Dr. Huxtable, his television shows, how Cosby carries himself in interviews, and his style of comedy, you don't think of someone, who's living a double life with a dark side.

Every comedian has a dark side. Because they're all depressed. That's got nothing to do with rape, but would you think that really funny dude has probably thought about killing themselves a lot?

There's no sure way to know if Cosby will make the decision to open up and talk about all this or if he'll issue a formal statement,

Of course he won't talk about it. He's A) probably guilty and B) knows damn well that he'll say something that will be presented as a confession no matter whether he's guilty or not.

or if he's hoping this will all go away quietly, but one thing's for sure, the accusers are not instantly dismissed as liars or frauds. Sure, you have doubters out there, but it's not the overwhelming majority.

Good.

In the end, we have to wait and see how this will unfold with more time,

His career is pretty much over, but it'll be largely forgotten. He'll never see a court about this.

but times have changed with other celebrity scandals involving sports stars, actors and actresses, talk show hosts, and other mainstream personalities and public figures. Now, everyone knows anything is possible, and we might see one person or persona in public or in front of the cameras, but behind closed doors, there's a realistic possibility of carefully guarded secrets and a double-life.

Jimmy Saville was abusing kids for 50 years before it became public. Over 500 of them, in fact. Celebrities and other people with power have been doing this shit behind closed doors and a culture of silence.
 
Probably the most common reason for victims of sexual assault to not report it is because of fear that they won't be believed. Some statistics show that less than half of all sexual assaults in the United States are reported and most aren't for the reason cited.

I have no idea if Cosby is guilty or not, nor do I know how many of these women are being truthful. When it comes to certain crimes, especially sexual assault, it's not at all unusual for someone to be viewed as guilty until proven innocent. There's a stigma about rape that's all but impossible to ever be completely free from and it's a crime that can be difficult to prosecute. I will admit that I'm instinctively a little suspicious because these women have come forward decades after they alleged these assaults took place and because of Cosby's celebrity status. Again, I'm not saying they're lying because I don't know, but factoring that in with Cosby's legendary status in comedy & television and the fact that he has a net worth of over $400 million, then you have someone that could be targeted by people looking for a big payday.

Now, this next response in no way, shape or form validates sexual assault; I just wanna make that clear, but all a woman has to do is cry rape and the person accused will suddenly find themselves in a living hell. Even if there's no shred of proof aside from a woman's accusations, it can cause people to look at someone accused in a completely different light because, as I alluded to, you're often viewed as guilty until proven innocent when it comes to certain crimes. Several years ago, a family friend was accused of sexual abuse by a 15 year old girl that he had adopted from foster care a few years earlier. Police investigated, turned the man's life completely upside down, family members & friends severed ties with him, etc. even though there was not one single shred of evidence beyond the girl's accusations. After months of hell, he requested he be given a lie detector test and that she take one as well. He passed with flying colors while she failed completely, after which she confessed that she made up the whole thing because she was angry that he wouldn't allow her to attend a concert with friends for the upcoming weekend because she wasn't concentrating on getting her grades up in a few classes. Basically this kind, easy going 60 year old man was put through hell because a teenage girl was pissed off because he wouldn't let her go to a concert.

If someone's been a victim of sexual assault and is unable to muster the courage to tell his/her story to the authorities until years later, I can't necessarily say that I find fault in someone who says that they don't believe that person's story. I wouldn't call that person a liar but, at the same time, I'm not going to just automatically take their word over the person that's being accused, and vice versa, without some facts to prove or disprove the accusations. There have been too many injustices over the course of history based simply upon he said/she said in crimes ranging from robbery to rape to murder and just about everything else in between.
 
Although the statistics of how many women don't report rape are staggering, that in no way means that Bill Cosby is guilty on this. I have no idea if Bill Cosby is guilty or not, I don't know but I'm smart enough to know that its not smart to send Cosby down the river just because some people said he was a rapist. If Bill Cosby is found innocent it wouldn't be the 1st time bullshit allegations like this have happened to a celebrity, if he's guilty it wouldn't be the 1st time someone abused their star power in such a way.

Bill Cosby staying quiet regardless of his innocence or lack thereof is the smart thing to do, plain and simple. If he came out tomorrow, held a press conference and spread the word of his innocence it wouldn't change a god damn thing in anyone's eye and it could bring more headaches in his life than he already has. It makes perfect sense that he keeps his mouth shut, saying the wrong thing (whether its a joke or heat of the moment) could fuck him over hard in the future, there's no point in even risking it for the time being.

All in all I'm on the fence on this one, reading some of the allegations sound fairly legitimate while others sound like complete and utter crap. If Bill Cosby is guilty I hope they throw the book at him hard and fast (although I question if that would actually happen in the chance he's guilty) but if he's innocent (which he very well could be) then it would seem pretty stupid to condemn him for something he didn't do. For all the people who think he's guilty just remember this wouldn't be the 1st time horseshit allegation were made to get attention, fame and a quick payday and for all the people who think he's innocent just remember Bill Cosby wouldn't be the 1st, squeaky clean celebrity with a dark past. As for me, give me some evidence Bill Cosby did it, until then find another member of your "Bill Cosby Hate Club" somewhere else, once he's guilty then we'll talk.
 
He might have done it. He probably did it. Maybe not to all of the accusers, but to some. The more I hear about this, from Hannibal Burress to now (I was away on business when the accusations arose in '06), the more I feel that where there's smoke there's fire. I'll still watch The Cosby Mysteries and that one other show he did if I come across them, though, and I'd probably acquit him if I were a juror. But in my gut, I think the Cos was giving these ladies the ol' pudding pop against their consent.
 
I gotta say it sucks when it comes to this sort of thing, because as Jack-Hammer said, all a woman has to do is cry rape and whoever she accuses has to go through Hell, whether or not he did it. That being said, they still have to prove it first. It's either awfully convenient or really courageous to come forward and claim you were raped as well when someone else does it, especially against a celebrity. On the plus side, you can get stinkin' rich, whether or not it's true. On the bad side, you have to deal with all the backlash of that celebrity's supporters, and if it's found out you were lying, then you're done for. No one will ever believe what you say ever again, especially when it comes to something as serious as rape. I don't claim to know whether or not he did it, but these women, and women everywhere have to make sure they have irrefutable evidence and/or proof before they can accuse somebody, especially someone like a Bill Cosby, especially since, as I said, it can make or break not only their case, but their lives as well.
 
... are you defending Bill Cosby? Seriously?

No. To clarify, I was going in a hypothetical "what do they have to gain at this point?" direction for possible motivations to accuse Cosby. After so many years, and with Cosby at an old age, when he's not in an untouchable zone anymore, what's the point in going after money or fifteen minutes of fame now? If they wanted a real payday are some time in the spotlight, they could've openly accused Cosby years ago. Maybe the women accusing Cosby feel more comfortable to come out in the open now, because as a public figure, Cosby is more vulnerable.
 

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