Bill Cosby’s attorney blasts media for ‘vilification’ of comedian

The attorney for comedian Bill Cosby is blasting the news media for rushing to publicize what he called “unsubstantiated, fantastical stories� from several women who have come forward in the past few weeks to accuse Cosby of sexual assault.

“It is long past time for this media vilification of Mr. Cosby to stop,� attorney Martin D. Singer said in a statement released the same night that the embattled comedian received a rousing ovation during his sold-out performance at a central Florida theater.

It was one of Cosby’s first public appearances since the uproar over the allegations prompted several media companies to abandon projects with him. Several appearances, including a concert set for Thanksgiving weekend at Treasure Island in Las Vegas, have been canceled.

“The new, never-before-heard claims from women who have come forward in the past two weeks with unsubstantiated, fantastical stories about things they say occurred 30, 40 or even 50 years ago have escalated far past the point of absurdity,� Singer wrote.

The statement continued: “These brand new claims about alleged decades-old events are becoming increasingly ridiculous, and it is completely illogical that so many people would have said nothing, done nothing and made no reports to law enforcement or asserted civil claims if they thought they had been assaulted over a span of so many years.

“Lawsuits are filed against people in the public eye every day. There has never been a shortage of lawyers willing to represent people with claims against rich, powerful men, so it makes no sense that not one of these new women who just came forward for the first time now ever asserted a legal claim back at the time they allege they had been sexually assaulted.

“The situation is an unprecedented example of the media’s breakneck rush to run stories without any corroboration or adherence to traditional journalistic standards. Over and over again, we have refuted these new unsubstantiated stories with documentary evidence, only to have a new uncorroborated story crop up out of the woodwork. When will it end?�

@GeBraxton