LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Bill Cosby faces a fresh lawsuit after a singer accused him of drugging and sexually assaulting her in the late 1980s. The plaintiff identified as Morganne Picard filed the complaint under the Adult Survivors Act and alleged that between 1987 and 1990, the disgraced comedian drugged her on multiple occasions.
In the court documents reviewed by People, Picard stated that the 86-year-old actor invited her to the set of 'The Cosby Show' in 1987 when she claimed that Cosby "insisted and encouraged" her to consume beverages that left her feel “extremely intoxicated" during several encounters.
Who is Morganne Picard?
Picard is a singer-entertainer who gained popularity as a singer and model in Paris in her teen years. She is known for her performances at the famous Paris nightclub Les Bains-Douches and was also signed by Warner Brothers International.
The singer who has performed in two famed orchestras, the Brian Setzer Orchestra and Eddie Duchin has performed at the inaugural gala of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the Hollywood Bowl.
Details of Picard's lawsuit against Cosby
Picard alleged that after she was intoxicated, she blacked out at Cosby's home where she was later sexually assaulted by him. "Upon information and belief, when Ms. Picard was physically incapacitated by the unknown intoxicant, Cosby undressed and raped her, without her consent and when she did not have the capacity to consent," read the lawsuit.
The legal document has also mentioned named other defendants including NBCUniversal, the Carsey-Warner Company, Astoria Studios LP II, and Kaufman Astoria Studios as they did "not investigate, reprimand, supervise nor in any way try to stop Cosby from sexually abusing, assaulting and/or battering women."
The singer-entertainer is suing the embattled actor for battery, assault, and intentional infliction of emotional distress and named other defendants in the lawsuit for negligent hiring and negligence. The lawsuit is made possible under the Adult Survivors Act which gives adult victims a one-year window to file claims against their alleged abusers over older sexual crimes, bypassing the Statute of Limitations. The window for new claims will end on Thanksgiving 2024.
Cosby's representative called the allegations false
Addressing the new lawsuit against Cosby, his representative Andrew Wyatt told the outlet "It is disappointing to see that these alleged distractors are able to monetize false allegations against Mr. Cosby," and added, "Mr. Cosby continues to invoke his Constitutional Rights by saying, ‘Not Guilty’ and vehemently denying all of these alleged allegations waged against him."
With over 60 women accusing Cosby of drugging and sexually assaulting them, the comedian was convicted on three counts of aggravated indecent assault. In 2018, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Three years later, his conviction was vacated and was released in 2021.
