Bill Cosby, the veteran actor and comedian, has been sued for sexual assault by a group of five women. The suit, which was filed in California, includes three women who worked with Cosby on The Cosby Show. The women are accusing Cosby of “assault, battery, infliction of emotional distress and false imprisonment”.

The lawsuit states that “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 [the] defendants … to misuse his enormous power in such a nefarious, horrific way.” The suit has been brought forward by Lili Bernard, Eden Tirl, Jewel Gittens, Jennifer Thompson, and Cindra Ladd.

Bernard, who played Mrs. Minifield on the popular TV series, has claimed that Cosby drugged and raped her in two different states in 1990. Tirl, who played a police officer on the show, says that Cosby inappropriately touched her in 1989.

Gittens states that Cosby asked her to come to his home to chat about working on The Cosby Show but drugged and sexually assaulted her instead. Thompson states that Cosby forced her to inappropriately touch him when she was only 18 years old. Ladd also states that Cosby drugged and raped her in 1969.

This is not the first time that Cosby has faced accusations of sexual assault. Over the years, numerous women have come forward with similar stories, but this is the first time that a group of women who worked with Cosby on The Cosby Show have brought a lawsuit against him.

The lawsuit comes at a time when the #MeToo movement has brought renewed attention to sexual assault and harassment, and has led to the downfall of many powerful men in various industries. It remains to be seen what the outcome of this latest lawsuit will be, but it is clear that Cosby’s reputation continues to be tarnished by these accusations.