A Timeline of The Bill Cosby Case Accuser Lawsuits

Written by Aaron R. Winston
Last Updated: February 7, 2024 2:22am CST

(Photo by the Montgomery County Planning Commission on Flickr under CC BY-SA 2.0 - modifications made)

Being able to be held accountable for criminal behavior is paramount for any free and civil society. Although far from perfect, it is how our legal system is designed.

So community members who break civil and criminal laws are expected to face the consequences. Or at least they should equally. This rule of law continues to make it so that we can work together to create a better and more equitable future for all. 

Unfortunately, not everyone respects the rule of law, especially those in places of power. There has been a recent trend of once beloved celebrities being accused of being criminals guilty of rape and sexual assault.

One of the most shocking revelations that seemed to come out of nowhere for those unaware was that of Bill Cosby in 2014 when he was accused of being a celebrity rapist.

They are criminal accusations against Cosby, as he has been accused of various forms of sexual assault and even child sexual abuse.

In the Metoo Movement era, accusations such as these are no longer being ignored by default, even if those accused are celebrities in high-up positions are the accused.

That has been the case with Bill Cosby and the sexual assault lawsuits since 2014.

Who is Bill Cosby?

William Henry Cosby Jr., once affectionately known to millions as “America’s Dad,” is a comedian, actor, and author. Cosby was born on July 12, 1937, to William Cosby and Anna Pearl in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is one of four brothers.

Cosby’s journey to Hollywood success is an inspirational tale of a young man who overcame centuries of prejudice and politics to become a national treasure.

Unfortunately, the criminal allegations he faces and has been convicted of have rewritten history as we knew it and turned the story into the tale of both a talented actor-comedian and an alleged celebrity criminal rapist.

Cosby’s youth saw him pursue a promising athletic and academic career until he flunked out of the 10th grade. Eventually, Cosby enlisted in the Navy and finally earned admittance to Temple University in 1961.

This period was also when Cosby’s career in entertainment began as he started as a stand-up comic in small venues in his hometown and later at the Gaslight Café in New York City.

Cosby’s stand-up career continued until he developed a reputation and began booking major venues in Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. before he got his big break and was invited to appear on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1963.

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Cosby’s exposure on The Tonight Show jumpstarted his acting career when, in 1965, Cosby was cast in his first television series. This TV show was a monumental achievement since African-American actors and comics were still a rare sight in mainstream media.

Despite his racial background and the era, Cosby’s career was unchecked as he rose to the top of Hollywood and starred in countless shows. Some of the most famous examples of his TV acting career include:

Famous Bill Cosby TV Shows:

• I Spy(1965-1968): The first show Cosby ever starred in was a spy drama/comedy hybrid, which ran for three seasons on NBC.
  The show consisted of undercover secret agents Alexander Scott (Cosby) and Kelly Robinson (Robert Culp) posing as tennis players and uncovering sinister plots among America’s elite.
  I Spy and Cosby broke barriers by I Spy being the first American TV drama to star an African American actor in a lead role. 
• Fat Albert and The Cosby Kids(1972-1984): Bill Cosby produced and created the Fat Albert animated comedy. The 8 season series follows the misadventures of Fat Albert and is based on Cosby’s memories of his childhood group of friends.
  Cosby served as Fat Albert’s voice and additional characters Bill, Dumb Donald, and Mushmouth. The lines of the cartoon theme song, which it is most remembered for, is, “Hey, hey, hey, Here’s Fat Albert.”
• The Cosby Show(1984-1992): Co-created by Bill Cosby, the sitcom series is about the Huxtables, an upper middle-class African-American family living in Brooklyn, NY.
  Cosby starred as the family’s patriarch, Dr. Cliff Huxtable. The Cosby Show is still one of the most successful sitcoms of all time and paved the way for other top-rated NBC sitcoms in the decades to follow. 
• Kids Say the Darndest Things(1998-2000 with Cosby as host): A reality television show first hosted by Cosby. The premise involved Bill Cosby as the host posing life questions to children who would often, in their naivety, provide comedic responses.
  This show, and Cosby, were comically featured in Family Guy as a subplot.

Cosby has starred in a few films and released multiple comedy specials focusing on his routines. Netflix announced the release of its new comedy special featuring Bill Cosby titled “Bill Cosby 77” shortly before the Bill Cosby sexual assault allegations surfaced.

However, in July 2015, Netflix’s Chief Content Content Officer stated the streaming service ultimately canceled the Bill Cosby special due to the sexual assault allegations of Cosby’s accusers.

Despite Cosby’s storied career as one of the first successful African-American actors, the last several years have shown him in a less positive light.

That said, you are likely wondering just how accurate the reports of Cosby’s criminal behavior are. What exactly alleged sexual assault crimes has Bill Cosby been accused and has he been convicted of them? Why is Bill Cosby no longer in jail?

What is Cosby Accused Of?

The term “sexual assault” has a fairly broad definition for something so cruel and damaging. Insofar as Bill Cosby is concerned, the accusations he faces are well-defined from a legal perspective. Bill Cosby is accused of the following crimes:

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60 Women Accuse Cosby of Multiple Counts:

• Rape: One of the most well-known forms of sexual assault involves sexual intercourse with a non-consenting partner, either by fear or force.
• Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault: This form of sexual assault occurs when the victim is incapacitated or has a diminished capacity caused by drugs or alcohol and is unable to consent one way or the other. “Date rape” can be perpetrated even if the drug or alcohol use itself is voluntary.
• Sexual Battery: This type of sexual assault might not include penetration but the inappropriate touching of another person against their consent.
• Child Sexual Abuse: This form of sexual assault involves any sexual act with a child below the age of consent by an adult or someone older or who has more power than the child. The circumstances can involve forcing, bribing, tricking, pressuring, guilting, or intimidating a child into sexual acts.
• Sexual Misconduct: Sexual misconduct is hard to define and can consist of inappropriate comments and flirting that are sexual in nature. Sexual misconduct, from a legal viewpoint, can be borderline to be considered sexual battery. 

The majority of the accusations against Cosby involve him drugging his victims with quaaludes before performing non-consensual sexual acts upon them.

Unfortunately for these women, most of the accusations fell outside their respective statute of limitations, rendering the victims unable to file suits against Cosby.

While Cosby maintained his innocence, he confessed to having casual sex with partners under the influence of methaqualone (quaaludes). Though Cosby claimed he did this consensually, the distribution and use of the drug for recreational purposes is a criminal offense.

Who is Hannibal Burress?

Hannibal Amir Burress is an American comedian and actor. He has starred on multiple comedy TV shows, including The Eric Andre Show and Broad City. Burress was born in Chicago, Illinois, on February 4, 1984. He is the son of a father, an employee of Union Pacific Railroad, and his mother, a teacher.

After attending Southern Illinois University for four years without graduating, he first began his career as a stand-up comedian at an open mic in 2002.

Hannibal Burress is also attributed for bringing Bill Cosby’s sexual abuse of women back into the spotlight and bringing way to the lawsuits against Cosby while performing a late-night stand-up routine.

Who is Gloria Allred?

Gloria Allred is an American discrimination attorney that has spent decades successfully representing and getting justice for victims of various types of discrimination. Allred was born on June 3, 1941, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her father was a salesman, and her mother was a householder.

Gloria Allred has taken many high-profile cases that are against celebrities accused of sexual harassment and assault. One strategy Allred has used over the years is hosting live press conferences with her clients to bring attention to the issues, which applies pressure on the alleged defendants.

She held several press conferences that likely made a significant difference in leading to the reopening of the criminal investigation against Cosby.

In addition to representing Bill Cosby’s accusers, she has represented clients in lawsuits against Anthony Weiner, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sacha Baron Cohen, Motley Crue, and R. Kelly. Allred has also been an anchor on Court TV.

The Bill Cosby Accusers and Cosby Trials Timeline:

While the legal claims against Mr. Cosby only recently gained traction in 2014, the case’s history goes back. The earliest accusation against Cosby that saw open police involvement was made in 2005 for his alleged actions on a January 2004 evening.

Fortunately, the cases have continued, and there have been favorable verdicts for Cosby’s accusers. The latest major development in Cosby’s claim is from June 2022.

(Photo by Mike Mozart on Flickr under CC BY 2.0)

Andrea Constand’s Civil Suit Against Cosby – 2005

• November 2002: Andrea Constand, the former director of operations for Temple University’s women’s basketball team, reports meeting with Bill Cosby and that he adopted the role of being a mentor to her.
  Cosby, a big supporter of Temple University, was on Temple’s track and field and football during his time at the Philadelphia university.
• January 2004: Andrea Constand visits Cosby at his home in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, to discuss career advice with Bill Cosby.
  Constand accuses Cosby of giving her what he said were “herbal” pills to help her anxiety and then sexually assaulting her.
  Bill Cosby maintains his innocence even though he confessed to giving women quaaludes.
• January 22, 2005: Andrea Constand, now living in Toronto, files an official police report with the Durham Regional Police in Ontario, Canada. Constand’s claim states that Bill Cosby sexually assaulted her using drugs. Cosby’s lawyer says Constand’s allegation is “utterly preposterous.”
• February 10, 2005: Tamara Green, a California attorney, is hosted on the Today show and claims that Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in the 1970s.
  On the Today show, Green recounts an allegation of how Bill Cosby gave her pills to help her with a fever and drove her back to her apartment.
  She accused Cosby of “… groping me and kissing me and touching me and handling me and … taking off my clothes.” Cosby’s lawyer denied his client even knew the name Tamara Green.
• February 17, 2005: Bruce Castor Jr., the Montgomery County district attorney responsible for the investigation, announces his decision not to prosecute Cosby over Constand’s allegations. Castor cites insufficient evidence needed to prosecute.
• March 8, 2005: Constand files a civil complaint against Cosby for assault and battery. During this time, 13 additional women accused Cosby of similar actions described by Constand and Tamara Green.
• June 23, 2005: Beth Ferrier, previously known as Jane Doe No. 5, goes public with her identity and accusations against Cosby. She claims to have been in a relationship with Bill Cosby in the mid-1980s, which ended after he allegedly drugged her through coffee, and she woke up in a car after he sexually assaulted her.
• June 9, 2006: Barbara Bowman accuses Cosby of attempted rape and assault in Philadelphia Magazine.
• November 8, 2006: Constand settles with Cosby for an undisclosed amount and confidentiality agreement. It was later revealed as a $3.38 million settlement.

Hannibal Burress Joke Claims Bill Cosby Rapes Women – 2014

• October 16, 2014: Comedian Hannibal Buress jokes about the sexual misconduct claims against Cosby while performing in Philadelphia. Buress’ joke directly accuses Cosby of raping women.
• November 10, 2014: After a series of renewed allegations against Cosby in the wake of the Buress saying his “Cosby rapist joke,” Cosby has a public relations team launch a meme generator on Twitter. The community responds by making references to the rape allegations against Cosby.

Women Accuse Bill Cosby of Sexual Assault

• November 13, 2014: Barbara Bowman publishes an op-ed questioning why it took 30 years and a joke to draw attention to Cosby’s alleged predatory behavior.
• November 15, 2014: Bill Cosby is confronted about the various alleged charges against him. Cosby chooses to remain silent and does not respond to the questions.
• November 16, 2014: Joan Tarshis, a new Cosby accuser, comes forward to CNN about being drugged and raped by Cosby twice in 1969.
• November 17, 2014: Linda Joy Traitz, a former waitress at Café Figaro (partially owned by Cosby), accuses Cosby of attempting to drug her in the 1970s by writing a Facebook post. Traitz also claims Cosby became “sexually aggressive” towards her the same night “…and wouldn’t take ‘No’ for an answer…”.
• November 18, 2014: Janice Dickinson, a supermodel, appears on Entertainment Tonight and accuses Cosby of sexual abuse. She alleges that Cosby drugged and raped her in 1982 by giving her wine and a pill.
• November 19, 2014: Almost all shows featuring Cosby are taken off the air. TV Land stops playing the popular Cosby Show reruns. The Associated Press(AP) shares footage of a November 6 interview with Cosby where Cosby tells the AP staff interviewing him to “scuttle” the clips of him where he refuses to answer or comment on the sexual assault charges against him.
• November 20, 2014: A false story is circulated that Cosby molested Disney Channel actress Raven-Symoné as a child. Symoné immediately denies this story, and it is deemed false. The same day, three additional victims came forward.
  • Carla Ferrigno, the wife, and manager of Lou Ferrigno, the incredible hulk actor, accuses Cosby of grabbing and kissing her against her will at a party in 1967. At the time, Ferrigno was a teenager at the time of what she describes as “attacked.”
  • Louisa Moritz, another actress, goes on TMZ and accuses Cosby of forcing her to perform oral sex on him in a Tonight Show green room in 1971.
  • Theresa Serignese, a nurse, accuses Cosby of drugging and raping her in 1976. Serignese was one of the 13 Jane Does in the 2005 Constand civil lawsuit. Therese Serignese later gives an exclusive interview to The New York Daily News.
• November 21, 2014: An additional three women come forward with sexual assault accusations against Cosby. Kristina Ruehli, Renita Chaney Hill, and Angela Leslie accuse Cosby of attempting to force sexual activity, with the former two citings attempting drugging.
• November 22, 2014: Victoria Valentino, a former Playmate, details Cosby drugging and assaulting her and a friend in 1970 to the Washington Post.
• November 24, 2014: Jewel Allison, a former model, accuses Cosby of drugging and assaulting her in the late 1980s. She recalls the events of a dinner invite to Bill Cosby’s home, where he poured her a glass of wine. In hindsight, she now thinks the wine was drugged.
• November 26, 2014: Two more Bill Cosby accusers tell their accounts as Bill Cosby rape victims. A Jane Doe from the 2005 claim, waitress Donna Motsinger, goes public with her accusations of Cosby sexually assaulting her in the 1970s. Shawn Brown tells the Daily Mail her allegations against Bill Cosby, alleging he drugged, raped, and got her pregnant. She claims her daughter Autumn Jackson is Bill Cosby’s daughter and a child of rape.
• December 1, 2014: Bill Cosby resigns from being on Temple University’s board of trustees.
• December 2, 2014: Judy Huth accuses Cosby of assaulting her when she was 16 at a Playboy Mansion party in 1975 and that Cosby instructed her to lie about her age in order for her to get into the venue.
  How old was Bill Cosby in 1975? Bill Cosby was 38 years old in 1975, more than 20 years older than Judy Huth at the time, whom he is accused of sexually assaulting.

Gloria Allred Holds Press Conference for Cosby Accusers

• December 3, 2014: Helen Hayes and a woman identifying only as “Chelan” both accuse Cosby of sexual assault at a press conference held by Gloria Allred. Helen Hayes states Cosby stalked her “like a predator.”
• December 4, 2014: Cosby files a countersuit against Huth, accusing her of falsifying her accusations of the sexual assault claim as an extortion attempt.
• December 10, 2014: Tamara Green sues Bill Cosby by filing a federal defamation suit against him over the accusation that she was lying about his sexually assaulting her.
• December 11, 2014: Beverly Johnson, a model, accuses Cosby of drugging her in the 1980s. She told Vanity Fair Bill Cosby insisted that she try a cappuccino from his home espresso machine. After two sips, Johnson knew it was drugged.

Cosby’s Family Supports Him

• December 15, 2014: Chloe Goins, a model, accuses Cosby of drugging and assaulting her in 2008. Goins’ allegations would indicate the most recent sexual assault Cosby has committed. Camille Cosby speaks out for the first time in support of her husband and denounces the rape accusations made against him.
• December 16, 2014: Evin Cosby, the accused comedian’s daughter, makes her own statement taking the same stance as her mother. Evin Cosby said in support of her father, “He is the father you thought you knew.” To her family, the Cosby Show was a “reality show.”
• December 17, 2014: December 17, 2014: The Los Angeles district attorney’s office refuses to prosecute Huth’s claims against Cosby. The office cites that the statute of limitations on Huth’s has expired. Judy Huth’s civil suit against Cosby is not affected by the criminal statute of limitations.
• December 19, 2014: A new accuser going only by the alias “Lisa” accuses Cosby of drugging her in 1988. While on the Dr. Phil show, Lisa speaks about how Bill Cosby invited her up to his hotel room for a “mentoring session.”
  However, during her time in the hotel room, Cosby gave her a drugged drink and then stroked her hair. She woke up two days later with no memory of what transpired during that missing time period in Cosby’s hotel room.
• December 22, 2014: Kathy McKee, an actress, accuses Cosby of raping her in the early 1970s. McKee said she had already known Cosby for eight years at the time of the alleged assault and considered him a “buddy.”

Phylicia Rashad Supports the Accused Comedian

• January 6, 2015: Phylicia Rashad, a star on The Cosby Show, joins fellow outspoken Cosby defenders by saying the rape accusations against Cosby are a coordinated attack to hurt the comedian’s legacy. She speaks to reporter Roger Friedman and says, “Forget these women.”
• January 7, 2015: Gloria Allred hosts another press conference. This time with three new accusers. Linda Kirkpatrick, Lynn Neal, and a woman using the alias “Kacey” all claim Cosby drugged and raped them.
  “Kacey” claims while she was working as an assistant to Bill Cosby’s agent in 1996, the actor-comedian drugged and assaulted her. Allred criticizes Phylicia Rashad for her “Forget these women” remark, which Rashad said in support of Cosby.
• January 14, 2015: The Los Angeles Police Department(LAPD) announces they will be investigating Chloe Goins’ accusations against Cosby. Goin’s claim against Cosby was the first to fall within the State of Califonia’s statute of limitations.
• January 26, 2015: Cindra Ladd, a film executive, claims Cosby drugged and assaulted her in 1969. In a Huffington Post essay, Cindra Ladd said Bill Cosby invited her to see a movie and had her take a pill he said was for headaches. The next thing she remembers is waking up the next morning naked in a strange bed while Cosby lounged in a bathrobe.
• February 8, 2015: Helen Gumpel, a former Cosby show actress, claims that Cosby sexually harassed her in the 1980s. After her first appearance on the show, Bill Cosby invited her on set. She claims her acting career suffered due to not accepting Cosby coming unto her.
• February 12, 2015: Two new accusers, Linda Brown and Lise-Lotte Lublin, both come forward with accusations that Cosby drugged and raped them. Although the accusation is separate by two decades, both share the same manner of circumstances in which they occurred.
  Each woman claims the actor-comedian invited them to his hotel room and gave them something to drink, causing them to black out, followed by his sexually assaulting them.
• February 24, 2015: Heidi Thomas comes forward and claims that Cosby flew her to Reno for an acting mentoring session. She claims Cosby directed her to act drunk and gave her a glass of wine to drink that made her memory “foggy,” and sexually assaulted her.
• March 3, 2015: Another Jane Doe from the Andrea Constand civil lawsuit goes public with her accusations under the alias “Patricia.” Patricia claims Cosby drugged and raped her on two separate occasions. The first time was in Cosby’s Massachusets guest bedroom in 1978, and the second instance was in 1980.
• March 4, 2015: Jane Doe No. 2 from the Andrea Constand lawsuit goes public, speaking out about their accusations against Bill Cosby. Jennifer “Kaya” Thompson alleges Bill Cosby pressured her into a sexual act and paid her $700. She was only 18 years old at the time.
• March 27, 2015: Gloria Allred hosts another press conference where two new accusers come forward with their experiences. This time, Sunni Welles and Margie Shapiro are the Cosby victims speaking out.
  Sunni Welles was only 17 years old when she met Bill Cosby. Her mother was an employee at Paramount Pictures and considered Cosby to be a friend. Margie Shapiro accuses Cosby of drugging her. They met at the doughnut shop where she worked in 1975.
• April 23, 2015: Allred hosts another press conference where three more Cosby accusers come forward. Janice Baker-Kinney, Marcella Tate, and Autumn Burns all come forward with their own claimed experiences and accusations of Cosby drugging and assaulting them.
• May 1, 2015: Allred hosts another public press conference where Lili Bernard and Sammie Mays come forward with accusations. Actress Lili Bernard claimed she was drugged and raped by Cosby when she came for what he claimed was going to be a “mentoring session” in the early 1990s.
• May 21, 2015: Jane Dickinson files a lawsuit: A defamation lawsuit against Cosby, claiming damages from Bill Cosby for falsely calling her a liar.
• July 6, 2015: Court documents from Andrea Constand’s 2005 suit are released due to the request of the Associated Press. The court documents show Cosby admitted in his testimony to giving quaaludes to one accuser. He did not answer whether or not the accuser was aware she was given the drugs.
• August 12, 2015: Gloria Allred hosts another press conference where Linda Ridgeway Whitedeer, Colleen Harris, and Eden Tirl all come forward with their accusations against Cosby. Linda Ridgeway Whitedeer accuses Cosby of sexually assaulting her after he pulled her off the film set into a room. Actress Eden Tirl alleges the actor-comedian sexually harassed her on The Cosby Show set.
• September 30, 2015: Allred hosts another press conference where three more women speak out, telling their personal accounts. Sharon Van Ert, Pamela Abeyta, and Model Lisa Christie all come forward with allegations.

• October 11, 2015: Cosby testifies in Huth’s sexual abuse civil lawsuit.
• October 21, 2015: Cosby fires Marty Singer as his lawyer. Marty Singer is a high-profile Los Angeles attorney who represents actors facing similar accusations.
• October 23, 2015: An actress using the alias “Dottye” and Donna Barrett comes forward with accusations. Dottye accuses Cosby of drugging and raping her in 1984 at his house, where she was invited to audition for The Cosby Show. Donna Barret claims the comedian assaulted her while she was at a University of Pennsylvania track meet in 2004.
• November 9, 2015: Kristina Ruehli, who was a secretary at a talent agency at the time of the alleged assault, files a defamation lawsuit against Cosby.
• November 13, 2015: Four unnamed accusers join the defamation suit.

Bill Cosby Files Defamation Suits

• December 14, 2015: Cosby files a defamation suit against 7 of the accusers who have made claims against him.
• December 21, 2015: Cosby files a defamation countersuit against Beverly Johnson. He claims Johnson is lying about being drugged and even that his wife was there with them when Beverly Johnson alleges he drugged her.

Cosby is Charged Before Statute of Limitations End – 2015

• December 30, 2015: District prosecutors in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, charge Cosby with three counts of sexual assault in the Constand case. These mark the first criminal charges brought against Bill Cosby since he faced these allegations in 2005.
  The 12-year statute of limitations is set to expire in January 2016, so authorities reopen the sexual assault investigation.
• February 3, 2016: Judge Steven T. O’Neill allows the case against Cosby to proceed. Says witness credibility is a factor.
• February 22, 2016: Camille Cosby has a 7-hour deposition. She provides over 2.5 hours of testimony in defense of her husband, now facing criminal charges.
• February 25, 2016: Cosby drops his federal defamation suit against accuser Beverly Johnson.

Cosby Ordered to Stand Trial – 2016

• May 24, 2016: Cosby is ordered to stand trial in the sexual assault case by Judge Elizabeth McHugh. By waving formal arraignment, Cosby enters a plea of not guilty. The criminal sexual assault case is assigned to Judge Steven O’Neill and will take place in the Montgomery County courthouse in Norristown, Pennsylvania.
• June 8, 2016: Cosby moves to have the judge dismiss the indecent sexual assault case. The motion is denied, and the case will proceed.
• May 25, 2017: Jury selection for the case ends. The first Bill Cosby criminal trial’s jury consists of seven men and five women.

The First Cosby Sexual Assault Trial – 2017

• June 5, 2017: The first criminal trial begins
• June 17, 2017: After the jury deliberates for 52 hours, the jury is hung, and the first trial ends in a mistrial.
• August 1, 2017: Brian McMonagle, Cosby’s lead defense lawyer for the mistrial, files to withdraw from the Cosby defense team.
• August 15, 2017: Angela Agrusa, another defense lawyer from Cosby’s defense counsel, files a motion with the court to withdraw from the Cosby case.
• August 17, 2017: Bill Cosby Tweets the names and photos of his new legal defense team. Three attorneys.
  • Thomas Mesereau: the high-profile Los Angeles attorney who successfully defended Michael Jackson against all 14 accounts in the People v. Michael Jackson child molestation case.
  • Kathleen Bliss: experienced retired federal prosecutor who now represents the defense.
  • Samuel Silver: A Philadelphia-based attorney certified to practice law in Pennsylvania.
    A minimum of one lawyer must be licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania to defend a client in Pennsylvania courts.
• February 1, 2018: Pennsylvania-certified attorney Lane Vine files a court motion to replace Sam Silver as part of Bill Cosby’s defense counsel.

The Second Cosby Trial – 2018

• April 2, 2018: The retrial begins for Cosby’s criminal sexual assault case. He is charged with sexually assaulting Andrea Constand at his house in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, in January 2004.
  Cosby denies all the charges and says any encounters were consensual. Judge Steven O’Neill, the same judge who presided over the first case that ended in a mistrial, allows for five more women who accuse Cosby of drugging them and
• April 25, 2018: The jury begins to deliberate to reach a verdict in the second Bill Cosby case.

Bill Cosby is Convicted and Sentenced to Prison – 2018

• April 26, 2018: The jury convicts Bill Cosby on criminal charges. All three felony counts of aggravated indecent assault.
• May 3, 2018: Camille Cosby speaks out in support of her husband after the guilty verdict. During her statement, she compares Bill Cosby’s case to Emmet Till. The comparison is met with backlash.
• September 24, 2018: Cosby’s sentencing hearing begins.
• September 25, 2018: Judge Steven O’Neill sentences Cosby to total confinement for 3 to 10 years in state prison. That means no house arrest. Cosby is to spend no less than three years and no more than ten years in prison.
• June 25, 2019: Cosby files an appeal claiming the judge was wrong to allow five additional accusers to testify they were drugged and sexually assaulted for the second trial.
• December 10, 2019: The three-judge panel unanimously rejects Bill Cosby’s appeal. His lawyers announce they plan to file an appeal in The Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Sexual Assault Conviction is Overturned – 2021

• June 30, 2021: The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania overturns Cosby’s sexual assault conviction. The Supreme Court finds that he should never have been charged or sentenced as Cosby made a prior deal with a prosecutor.
  When did Bill Cosby get out of prison?  Bill Cosby was released from prison on June 30, 2021, the same day the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his prison sentence. He was serving time at the Correctional Institution Phoenix in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

New Lawsuits Filed Against Bill Cosby – 2022 Update

• June 21, 2022: Judy Huth wins the civil lawsuit she first filed against Bill Cosby in 2015, and the Los Angeles jury 12-person jury awards her $500,000 in damages. Cosby’s lawyers tout the lack of punitive damages awarded as a victory.
• December 6, 2022: Five women file a new lawsuit against Bill Cosby in a New York state court. The women alleging Bill Cosby of assault, battery, infliction of emotional distress, and false imprisonment: Lili Bernard, Jewel Gittens, Cindra Ladd, Jennifer Thompson, and Eden Tirl.
  In addition to naming Bill Cosby, the lawsuit names the three media companies that ran “The Cosby Show” between 1984 and 1992 and accuses the companies of negligence.
  The suit was filed under the New York Adult Survivor’s Act, which gives “a one-year lookback window” to bypass the statute of limitations for survivors who suffered the alleged crime while they were over 18 when the alleged crime occurred.

Before we wrap up this article about the Bill Cosby sexual assault lawsuit timeline, we seek to display the magnitude of accusations.

How many women accused Bill Cosby? A total of 60 women accuse Bill Cosby of alleged crimes, which include drugging and raping. The accusations against Cosby for alleged rape start all the way back in the 1960s.

List of all 60 Bill Cosby Accusers:

1. Pamela Abeyta
2. Jewel Allison
3. Janice Baker-Kinney
4. Donna Barrett
5. Lili Bernard
6. Barbara Bowman
7. Linda Brown
8. Autumn Burns
9. Sarita Butterfield
10. Renita Chaney Hill
11. Lisa Christie
12. Andrea Constand
13. Lachele Covington
14. Janice Dickinson
15. Jane Doe
16. Jane Doe
17. Jane Doe
18. “Dottye”
19. “Elizabeth”
20. Joyce Emmons
21. Beth Farrier
22. Carla Ferrigno
23. Charlotte Fox
24. Tamara Green
25. Chloe Goins
26. Helen Gumpel
27. Helen Hayes
28. Colleen Hughes
29. Michelle Hurd
30. Judy Huth
31. Beverly Johnson
32. “Kacey”
33. Lisa Jones
34. Linda Kirkpatrick
35. Cindra Ladd
36. Chelan Lasha
37. Patricia Leary Steuer
38. Angela Leslie
39. “Lisa”
40. Lise-Lotte Lublin
41. P.J. Masten
42. Sammie Mays
43. Katherine McKee
44. Louisa Moritz
45. Donna Motsinger
46. Rebbeca Lynn Neal
47. Linda Ridgeway Whitedeer
48. Kristina Ruehli
49. Therese Serignese
50. Margie Shapiro
51. Joan Tarshis
52. Marcella Tate
53. Heidi Thomas
54. Jennifer “Kaya” Thompson
55. Eden Tirl
56. Linda Joy Traitz
57. Shawn Brown
58. Victoria Valentino
59. Sharon Van Ert
60. Sunni Welles

Closing Statements on the Bill Cosby Case

Bill Cosby’s legal battle in the face of rape allegations originally ended with a promising outcome for his accusers. The overturning of Cosby’s conviction has left him a free man with a case that cannot be retried due to double jeopardy laws.

However, Cosby is not immune from criminal suits altogether and can still be made liable in civil court, where the double jeopardy rule for his overturned conviction does not apply.

Time will tell what will happen. However, one thing is for sure, even with his conviction overturned, Cosby is no longer viewed in the same positive light as “America’s Dad.”

We at Express Legal Funding hope this article has proven enlightening and informed you of the crucial details in the timeline of Cosby’s sexual assault trial.

As the different Bill Cosby legal battles are still ongoing, we will make every effort to update this expert resource and case timeline accordingly.

About the Author

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Aaron R. Winston

Strategy Director at Express Legal Funding | Author Website

Aaron Winston is the Strategy Director of Express Legal Funding. As "The Legal Funding Expert," Aaron has more than ten years of experience in the consumer finance industry. Most of which was as a consultant to a top financial advisory firm, managing 400+ million USD in client wealth. He is recognized as an expert author and researcher across multiple SEO industries.
Aaron Winston earned his title "The Legal Funding Expert" through authoritative articles and blog posts about legal funding. He specializes in expert content writing for pre-settlement funding and law firm blogs.
Each month, tens of thousands of web visitors read his articles and posts. Aaron's thoroughly researched guides are among the most-read lawsuit funding articles over the past year.
As Strategy Director of Express Legal Funding, Aaron has devoted thousands of hours to advocating for the consumer. His "it factor" is that he is a tireless and inventive thought leader who has made great strides by conveying his legal knowledge and diverse expertise to the public. More clients and lawyers understand the facts about pre-settlement funding because of Aaron's legal and financial service SEO mastery.
Aaron Winston is the author of A Word For The Wise. A Warning For The Stupid. Canons of Conduct, which is a book in poetry format. It consists of 35 unique canons. The book was published in 2023.
He keeps an academic approach to business that improves the consumer's well-being. In early 2022, Aaron gained the Search Engine Optimization and the Google Ads LinkedIn skills assessment badges. He placed in the top 5% of those who took the SEO skills test assessment.
Aaron's company slogans and lawsuit funding company name are registered trademarks of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He has gained positive notoriety via interviews and case studies, which are a byproduct of his successes. Aaron R. Winston was featured in a smith.ai interview (2021) and a company growth case study (2022).
In 2023, Aaron and Express Legal Funding received accolades in a leading SEO author case study performed by the leading professionals at WordLift. The in-depth data presented in the pre-settlement funding SEO case study demonstrate why Aaron Winston maintains a high-author E-E-A-T. His original writing and helpful content continue to achieve unprecedented success and stand in their own class.

Aaron was born in Lubbock, TX, where he spent the first eight years of his life. Aaron attended Akiba Academy of Dallas, TX.