BOSTON (AP) – In both the court of law and the court of public opinion, the case is growing against Bill Cosby.
A year after allegations of sexual assault resurfaced and snowballed, women who’ve accused him of sexual assault are giving emotional interviews en masse, judges are ruling against him and colleges are continuing to revoke honorary degrees bestowed upon him when he was one of the country’s most admired entertainers.
Cosby, 78, now faces five separate lawsuits, including one filed last week by a woman who says Cosby repeatedly sexually assaulted her beginning when she was 16. Earlier this month, a judge in California refused to throw out a lawsuit filed by a woman who accuses Cosby of molesting her when she was 15. Days later, a federal judge in Massachusetts rejected Cosby’s bid to dismiss a defamation lawsuit brought by three women who’ve accused him of sexually abusing them decades ago. He spent a day being deposed in Boston in connection with a lawsuit by attorney Gloria Allred. And more depositions are likely in the weeks ahead.
If that weren’t enough, 27 of the women who say Cosby sexually assaulted them were interviewed together on “Dateline NBC.” Ebony magazine ran a cover with a photo of “The Cosby Show” cast under broken glass. And at least three more universities rescinded honorary degrees in the past week.
Tufts University in Massachusetts delivered a double blow, withdrawing both an honorary doctorate of arts and an award for excellence in children’s media, saying Cosby has “demonstrated a lack of character and integrity.” It joined a growing list of schools – including Fordham, Marquette and Brown University – that have sought to erase any affiliation with Cosby.