Chloe Goins (left) a model who claims entertainer Bill Cosby drugged and sexually abused her at the Playboy Mansion in 2008, leaves Los Angeles police headquarters with her attorney Spencer Kuvin after meeting with police investigators. (AP picture)
LOS ANGELES (AP) – A model who claims Bill Cosby drugged and sexually abused her at the Playboy Mansion met with Los Angeles police on Wednesday to pursue criminal charges against the comedian over the 2008 incident.
An attorney for Chloe Goins said after the meeting that his client is the first woman accusing Cosby of sexual misconduct whose case may fall within the statute of limitations. More than 15 women have accused Cosby of sexual misconduct, including several who say the comedian drugged and raped them in incidents dating back at least four decades.
Goins did not speak during a press conference Wednesday. Her attorney, Spencer Kuvin, said she came forward after hearing about other women describing abuse by Cosby and realising she might have a valid criminal case.
An email to Cosby’s attorney, Marty Singer, was not immediately returned.
Kuvin declined to discuss what Goins told detectives but restated her allegations that Cosby drugged her at a 2008 event at the Playboy Mansion. Goins does not know what happened while she was blacked out but Kuvin says she awoke to find herself naked and Cosby over her.
“Ms Goins and I are here for two reasons: for justice and accountability,” Kuvin said.
Goins is at least the second woman to meet with Los Angeles police detectives to recount accusations against Cosby.
Prosecutors rejected filing charges against Cosby based on allegations by Judy Huth, a Riverside County resident who is suing the comedian, alleging he abused her in the early 1970s when she was 15 years old. Huth’s lawsuit states the abuse happened at the Playboy Mansion.
Los Angeles police Commander Andrew Smith said that he could not confirm any investigation into Cosby and that sex abuse cases are “extremely confidential.”
Neither Smith nor Kuvin would speculate on what charges Cosby might face, and both noted that the statute of limitations for sex offenses are complex and depend on the facts of a case.
Cosby’s attorney has denied some of the accusations against the comedian, saying they have been discredited or come from discredited accusers. Cosby joked about the allegations against him at a recent show in Canada and is scheduled to perform two shows in Denver on Saturday night despite planned protests.
“We hope that the people that are paying to attend Mr Cosby’s shows understand that these victimized women have broken their silence now and they will not remain quiet any longer,” Kuvin said. “Mr Cosby should, and will be held accountable for what he’s done.”
He said women reporting abuse “should be encouraged and not joked about.”