Bill Cosby Tracie Van Auken/EPA/Shutterstock
Bill Cosby is being accused of sexual assault by another woman.
Singer Morganne Picard alleged that Cosby, now 86, drugged and raped her after they met in 1987, according to a new lawsuit filed in New York City on Friday, August 4, which The Daily Beast obtained.
Picard claimed that the disgraced comedian invited her to the set of his The Cosby Show “under the pretense” of helping her career as an aspiring singer. She alleged in the court documents that Cosby provided her with beverages and “insisted and encouraged” her to drink them on multiple occasions. Picard believed the drinks had been drugged because she would black out shortly after ingesting them. In one instance, Picard allegedly woke up naked in a hotel room “with soreness in her vagina,” which led her to believe that she had been raped.
Picard also named NBCUniversal Media, Kaufman Astoria Studios, Astoria Studios Limited Partnership II, and The Carsey-Werner Company in her suit for failing to “investigate, reprimand, supervise” or “try to stop Cosby.”
Cosby, for his part, has denied the accusations through rep Andrew Wyatt, who called out the accusers for “fueling false narratives for the potential of media fame and greed.” Us Weekly has reached out for comment.
“I am reminded of a photo a man hanging from a tree burning, as the plantation owner hosted a barbecue and party for the slaves as this Black Man was being roasted alive, without the sheer facts of any evidence, proof, truth or facts,” Wyatt told The Daily Beast in a statement on Friday.
Cosby was previously accused of sexual misconduct by over 60 women in 2015, many of whom claimed that he drugged and raped them. Cosby’s first sexual assault lawsuit, of which he pled not guilty, ended in a mistrial in 2017 after the jury failed to reach a unanimous decision. Andrea Constand, who first claimed in 2005 that Cosby raped her one year prior, filed a lawsuit in 2018. Cosby was found guilty and sentenced to three to 10 years in prison and was also ordered to undergo a lifetime of counseling and appear on a sex offender registry. After serving two years behind bars, Cosby was released when his conviction was overturned.
Us Weekly confirmed in June 2021 that the Pennsylvania high court found an agreement with a previous prosecutor that prevented Cosby from being charged. He was released later that month, continuing to assert that he was not guilty of misconduct.
Morganne Picard Courtesy of Morganne Picard/Instagram
“I have never changed my stance nor my story,” Cosby tweeted upon his release. “I have always maintained my innocence. Thank you to all my fans, supporters and friends who stood by me through this ordeal. Special thanks to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for upholding the rule of law. #BillCosby.”
The next year, Cosby was found civilly liable for sexually assaulting Judy Huth in 1975, who was a minor at the time and claimed that she was molested by Cosby during a party at the Playboy mansion. Huth was awarded $500,000 in damages after the June 2022 trial.
Despite the outcome, Cosby’s publicist and crisis manager told Us that the verdict was a “huge victory” for their team. “They are looking for millions of dollars,” the rep said in a statement at the time. “That amount [awarded] will not cover the legal bills and we will be appealing that matter. However, Mr. Cosby will not be paying punitive damages.”
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If you or anyone you know has experienced sexual assault, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 for confidential support.
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