Bill Cosby Accusers ‘Hurt’ and ‘Nauseated’ Supreme Court Won’t Review His Release
“It’s depressing and maddening but not surprising. This is where our country is leaning,” Lili Bernard says after SCOTUS rejects attempt to have Cosby’s criminal conviction reinstated
LILI BERNARD SAYS she couldn’t help but feel “nauseated” Monday when she woke up to the news the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the stunning decision last year that overturned Bill Cosby’s criminal conviction.
“It’s depressing and maddening – but not surprising. This is where our country is leaning,” Bernard, who is now suing Cosby in federal court in New Jersey for an alleged rape in one of Donald Trump’s Atlantic City hotels in 1990, says.
The Los Angeles-based artist and actress was one of three Cosby accusers who spoke to Rolling Stone minutes after learning about the denial from the high court that includes two men accused of sexual misconduct among its nine justices.
“It’s just an affirmation that America’s so-called ‘justice system’ is still stacked against women and sexual assault survivors. It’s like, my stomach is turning. I’m nauseated,” Bernard says.
Fellow Cosby accuser Angela Leslie tells Rolling Stone she also was disappointed in the SCOTUS refusal but didn’t consider it any type of vindication for the actor and comedian. “Nothing changes what he did. I think it’s simply a technicality. The jury did find him guilty, so it’s no exoneration,” she says.
Leslie was an aspiring actress in 1992 when Cosby lured her to a Las Vegas hotel suite with the promise of helping her career, she says. He asked her to wet her hair and act intoxicated for an impromptu audition. He handed her a drink that she barely sipped and then allegedly ambushed her by grabbing her hand and forcing her to masturbate him.
Leslie was one of seven women who sued Cosby for defamation and won a settlement after he denied their allegations. “He’s been exposed for what he did, and now he should work on himself to realize his actions were not acceptable. From the beginning – day one – I asked Cosby to acknowledge and apologize. But that never came,” Leslie says.
Former Playboy bunny P.J. Masten tells Rolling Stone she was “just in shock” after hearing about the SCOTUS decision. “I suffer every day with PTSD and severe anxiety disorder – every single day of my life. It’s a life sentence for me, and he got off.”
