Bill Cosby — 10 Women Who Claimed TV Legend Sexually Assaulted Them Can Move Forward w/ Their Lawsuit, Judge Rules

Bill Cosby

Bill Cosby — 10 Women Who Claimed TV Legend Sexually Assaulted Them Can Move Forward w/ Their Lawsuit, Judge Rules

While all eyes are on Sean “Diddy” Combs’ legal woes, there’s been a new development in claims against Bill Cosby.

Bill Cosby’s attempt to get a civil sexual assault lawsuit against him has been denied.

You might remember, 10 women sued Bill Cosby last year, claiming that he sexually assaulted them through the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. Their lawsuit came after Nevada passed the Justice for Victims of Crime bill (SB129), which removes the statute of limitations for adults who have survived sexual assault.

Specifically, the accusers alleged that the actor

“lured them into an isolated environment, drugged, or attempted to drug them, and then sexually assaulted them.”

Cosby then filed a motion to dismiss, and U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro sided with him in the argument that sexual assault is a crime and not a civil state matter. However, she agreed with the accusers on nearly all of the other issues.

For instance, Cosby argued that one of the women’s claims that he forced masturbation didn’t equate to sexual assault. However, the judge noted that sexual assault does include,

“a person … forc[ing] another person to masturbate him with her hand against her will.”

The judge did say she’d submit a request to the Nevada Supreme Court but denied Cosby’s motion to dismiss in the meantime.

Cosby also claimed that SB129 is illegal because it punishes those who have sexually assaulted someone differently than those who have committed other “heinous crimes.”

Navarro shut down that argument as well and said,

“Although victims of other crimes classified by defendant may suffer similar trauma and be reluctant to report, defendant has not shown how these other crimes are of the ‘uniquely intimate’ nature such that their victims stand on precisely the same ground as sexual assault victims.”

Meanwhile, Cosby also faces similar new claims in New York under the state’s Adult Survivors Act.

What are your thoughts on the judge’s decision? Comment and let us know.

[VIA]