Bill Cosby accuser Chloe Goins to seek criminal charges

  • Published
Bill Cosby speaks on Veterans Day in Philadelphia on 11 Nov 2014Image source, AP
Image caption,

Bill Cosby has never been formally charged with sexual assault

A model who claims she was drugged and sexually abused by Bill Cosby has met with police in LA, to determine whether criminal charges could be filed.

The alleged incident happened at the Playboy Mansion six years ago, according to Chloe Goins, now 24.

She is the first woman to accuse Cosby of abuse whose case may fall within the US statute of limitations, meaning potentially he could be charged.

Cosby faces a number of allegations by women dating back to the '70s and '80s.

The comedian, who has not been charged, has denied previous claims, calling them "fantastical" and "uncorroborated".

Spencer Kuvin, Ms Goins' lawyer, said the model had decided to come forward after hearing other women's accounts, which made her realise she may have a valid case against the 77-year-old comedian.

"Ms Goins and I are here for two reasons: For justice and accountability," he said.

Ms Goins claims that when she was 18, she was drugged and sexually assaulted by Mr Cosby while attending a party at Hugh Hefner's mansion in Los Angeles in 2008.

She claims she passed out at the party and woke up in a bedroom, naked, with Mr Cosby standing over her.

Mr Kuvin added: "We hope that the people that are paying to attend Mr Cosby's shows understand that these victimised women have broken their silence now and they will not remain quiet any longer."

Statute of limitations

Over the past three months, more than a dozen women have come forward alleging that Cosby had sexually abused them.

Many of those allegations are decades old and fall outside California's eight-year statute of limitations for criminal or civil cases. There have been calls for Mr Cosby to waive the statute.

LA police commander Andrew Smith said he could not confirm any investigation into Mr Cosby and that sexual abuse cases were "extremely confidential."

At least 10 dates on the comedian's stand-up tour, as well as some scheduled TV appearances, were cancelled following the initial allegations against him, which surfaced last autumn.

He is best known as Dr Cliff Huxtable on The Cosby Show from 1984 to 1992, which was a huge hit in the US and around the globe.