Janice Dickinson has accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault, bringing to 15 the number of women allegedly sexually assaulted by the actor.
In a television interview with Entertainment Tonight yesterday, the former super-model and America's Next Top Model judge said she had been drugged and raped by the actor in 1982.
The two had dinner in Lake Tahoe in California, after which Dickinson alleges he gave her a pill and a glass of red wine shortly before she “passed out”. Dickinson has since declined to comment on the interview.
Bill Cosby’s attorney, Martin Singer, called Ms Dickinson’s accusations “a lie”, saying they directly contradict sections from her own autobiography published in 2002.
NBC has cancelled plans to develop a new Bill Cosby comedy amid the new sexual assault claims. The project is no longer in development, according to an e- mailed statement from the network, part of Comcast Corp.
Decade-old allegations involving Cosby resurfaced over a week ago, when The Washington Post published an op-ed by Barbara Bowman. In the article Ms Bowman alleged Cosby repeatedly drugged and raped her during a period of their acquaintance in the 1980's when she was only 17.
The actor drew further criticism after his appearance on an NPR station last weekend when he refused to respond to the allegations. NPR journalist Scott Simon was obliged to fill the silence by saying that Mr Cosby “was shaking his head no” when the actor refused to answer his questions.
Additional reporting from Agencies