Bill Cosby Drugged, Raped Actress At NJ Hotel: Lawsuit

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — One of Bill Cosby's accusers filed a lawsuit in New Jersey federal court on Thursday alleging that he drugged and raped her in the suite of an Atlantic City hotel in 1990.

Lili Bernard, an actress who has previously disclosed that she was an alleged victim of Cosby’s, said Cosby offered to be a mentor for her acting career in July 1990, according to the lawsuit.

During mentoring sessions, Cosby allegedly told Bernard he would feature her in a principal role on “The Cosby Show” if she continued to work hard, the suit said.

The following month, Cosby “persuaded, induced, enticed and/or coerced” Bernard into traveling from New York to Atlantic City for a meeting with a producer at the Trump Taj Mahal who would help advance her career, according to the lawsuit.

Cosby arranged transportation for Bernard, the suit said. After the meal, Bernard and Cosby went to the dining room of a hotel suite, where Cosby allegedly prepared a non-alcoholic drink for Bernard, who didn’t drink, according to the lawsuit.

After drinking the beverage, Bernard "began to feel symptoms of dizziness, an urge to vomit, and weakness," according to the suit. She remembers telling Cosby “no” as he allegedly began to undress her and make sexual advances, the lawsuit says.

Bernard said she went in-and-out of consciousness all night, awaking at one point "to find Mr. Cosby naked atop her,” according to the lawsuit.

In the morning, Cosby dragged Bernard into a sitting position and then “dressed her quickly, handed (Bernard) money and walked her to a waiting car” to transport her back to New York, the lawsuit states.

"Mr. Cosby sexually assaulted, battered, and drugged Ms. Bernard on additional occasions," the lawsuit alleges.

Bernard said Cosby threatened to sue her for defamation if she went to the police and said he would "erase" her if she reported the alleged abuse, the suit states.

Bernard said she suffered post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, nightmares, severe physical pain "and multiple other permanent injuries,” according to the lawsuit. She's seeking "an amount no less than" $25 million in damages.

Cosby's representative Andrew Wyatt released a statement on the allegations in the lawsuit.

"These look back provisions are unconstitutional and they are a sheer violation of an individual's constitutional rights and denies that individual of their due process. This is just another attempt to abuse the legal process, by opening up the floodgates for people who never presented an ounce of evidence, proof, truth and/or facts, in order to substantiate their alleged allegations," Wyatt said.

"Mr. Cosby continues to maintain steadfast in his innocence and will vigorously fight any alleged allegations waged against him and is willing and able to take this fight to the highest court in these United States of America."

Attempts to contact Cosby's legal counsel were not immediately successful.

Cosby, now 84, was sentenced to three to 10 years behind bars in 2018 after being convicted of drugging and sexually abusing Andrea Constand inside his Cheltenham home in 2004. Cosby was released from prison in July after Pennsylvania's highest court overturned his criminal sexual assault case.

Dozens of women have come forward with similar allegations of abuse against Cosby since Constand's case became public, although Constand's case was the first that was brought to criminal trial.

Keep up to date with what's happening in your community by subscribing to your local Patch newsletter here.