Actor and comedian Bill Cosby has been sued by five women for sexual assault under a recently passed New York Law.

The New York Adult Survivors Act gives adult survivors of sexual abuse a one-year "lookback window" to sue their abusers even after the statute of limitations has passed.

The window opened on Nov. 24, six months after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the act into law. Unlike similar New York statutes, such as the Child Victims Act of 2019, the new law applies to accusers who were adults at the time of their alleged assaults.

Plaintiffs Lili Bernard, Cindra Ladd, Eden Tirl, Jewel Gittens, and Jennifer Thompson wrote in the 34-page filing that Cosby either raped them and-or forced them to do sexual acts. The suit accuses Cosby of assault, battery, infliction of emotional distress and false imprisonment.

Ladd claims that Cosby drugged and raped her in 1969. Gittens said in the filing that Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in his Manhattan apartment sometime between 1989 and 1990. Thompson alleges that the actor sexually assaulted her at his residence in 1988.

The suit claims negligence against NBCUniversal, Kaufman Astoria Studios and The Carsey-Werner Company -- the companies that produced and ran the 1980's comedy series, "The Cosby Show."

Bernard is an actress who guest starred on "The Cosby Show." The filing states that she was drugged and raped by Cosby in 1990 and 1991. She spoke out about the assault in 2015 and filed a separate suit against Cosby in 2021 through a New Jersey court. Tirl, who had a small part in the show, alleges that Cosby inappropriately touched her while in his dressing room in 1989.

"Each plaintiff was sexually assaulted and battered by defendant Bill Cosby in the same or similar manner when he used his power, fame, and prestige, including the power, fame and prestige given to him by defendants NBCUniversal Media, LLC, Kaufman Astoria Studios, Inc., and the Carsey-Werner Company, LLC, to misuse his enormous power in such a nefarious, horrific way," plaintiffs said in the suit filing.

Andrew Wyatt, Cosby's spokesman, called the lawsuit "frivolous."

"As we have always stated, and now America can see, this isn't about justice for victims of alleged sexual assault, it's ALL ABOUT MONEY," Wyatt said. "We believe that the courts, as well as the court of public opinion, will follow the rules of law and relieve Mr. Cosby of these alleged accusations. Mr. Cosby continues to vehemently deny all allegations waged against him and looks forward to defending himself in court."

Cosby, 85, was accused of rape and sexual assault by over 50 women from 2014-2016, spurring momentum in the #MeToo movement. He was convicted of criminal sexual assault in April 2018. Cosby was released after serving three years following the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's decision to overturn the conviction, citing due process rights violations.

Cosby was also ordered to pay $500,000 in a June civil case brought by Judy Huth who accused Cosby of sexually assaulting her at age 16 in 1975.

New York