Summary: Bill Cosby’s lawyer responds to return of rape allegations.
Though the allegations are old, they have yet again returned to haunt 77-year-old Bill Cosby. Never criminally charged, nevertheless over a dozen women have accused him of sexual assault. Though these alleged incidents have never been substantiated, and are supposed to have happened in the 1980’s, they’ve resurfaced lately due to comedian Hannibal Buress calling Cosby a rapist during a skit, in which he expressed some angst that Cosby was regarded as so wholesome while he himself was not. Further, one of Cosby’s accusers, Barbara Bowman, 47, wrote an online column for the Washington Post last week describing how Cosby allegedly drugged and assaulted her.
“I’m certain now that he drugged and raped me. But as a teenager, I tried to convince myself I had imagined it. I even tried to rationalize it: Bill Cosby was going to make me a star and this was part of the deal,” her piece in the Post explained.
This upstir of rape allegations, which have likewise spurred a sprawl of internet memes conjoining images of Cosby with accusations of rape, have led Cosby’s lawyer, John P. Schmitt, to explain why Cosby refused to comment on the rape allegations when asked about them in a recent interview on NPR:
“Over the last several weeks, decade-old, discredited allegations against Mr. Cosby have resurfaced,” the statement read. “The fact that they are being repeated does not make them true. Mr. Cosby does not intend to dignify these allegations with any comment. He would like to thank all his fans for the outpouring of support and assure them that, at age 77, he is doing his best work. There will be no further statement from Mr. Cosby or any of his representatives.”
Promising a renouncement of further statements might seem dignified, but then, you never know where these conversations will lead, or whether a further statement might be appropriate. This refusal of comment also does not explain how the accusations have been discredited. The central allegation of rape, raised in a 2005 civil suit put forth by Andrea Constand, and claiming to include testimony from 13 women who have similar allegations against Cosby, was settled out of court.
The buzz about the alleged rape may be part of why Cosby’s appearance on the “Late Show with David Letterman “ has been cancelled this Wednesday, though representatives have not confirmed this.
Whether there is backing to the buzz remains to be determined, if ever it will be.