Cosby accuser pursuing charges in alleged 2008 Playboy Mansion assault
Las Vegas dancer Chloe Goins, who claims that Bill Cosby sexually assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion in 2008, met Wednesday with Los Angeles Police Department to pursue criminal charges against the embattled comedian.
Las Vegas dancer Chloe Goins, who claims that Bill Cosby sexually assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion in 2008, met Wednesday with the Los Angeles Police Department to pursue criminal charges against the embattled comedian.
Goins, 24, first came forward publicly in mid-December, telling the Daily Mail that Cosby drugged and assaulted her, with the dancer allegedly waking to Cosby licking her toes and masturbating. She was 18 at the time.
Though the details of her allegations are familiar, Goins' case is unique in that it likely falls within California's statute of limitations for sexual assault, which currently stands at six years. If that is the case, Goins' charges could lead to Cosby's prosecution. And, following a two-hour meeting with the LAPD yesterday, Goins' lawyer, Spencer Kuvin, said that police "assured her they would investigate."
"Ms. Goins is now determined to accomplish what so many other victims no longer have the opportunity to do — to be the girl that puts Mr. Cosby behind bars, where he belongs," Kuvin said via a statement to Buzzfeed.
However, the case seems to be a little more convoluted than Kuvin's cut-and-dry version. The LAPD, for their part, didn't even acknowledge having met with Goins and has issued no comment. Even that six-year statute of limitations is in doubt, though Kuvin, a personal injury lawyer out of West Palm Beach, seems to be sure that a charge is imminent — even if it isn't through Goins.
Via USA Today:
"Even if they decide they can't prosecute, they can use her information and use her as a witness if someone else comes forward or if they are currently investigating anyone else's (allegations)," Kuvin said. "The reason she came forward is not only that she wants to see him prosecuted, she wants to support the other women."
The other accuser to speak with the LAPD, Judy Huth, didn't fare as well as that estimation, with prosecutors declining to file any criminal charges against Cosby after opening an investigation. In that instance, Huth claims that Cosby assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion when she was 15. Though she did not file a statement, Huth currently has a civil lawsuit pending. Cosby is countersuing.
Incidentally, Cosby's lawyers appear to take Goins' allegations at least as seriously as Kuvin does, with TMZ reporting that the Playboy Mansion has been called upon to provide security footage, witnesses, and the like:
Sources inside the Mansion tell TMZ ... Cosby's team reacted immediately -- asking if Hef's security team has any surveillance footage from the night of the party. We're told they also want names of employees and other guests who might be able to recall seeing Cosby and Goins.
And there's this -- in what seems like a preemptive move ... Cosby's attorneys are asking Hef if he's aware of any other Playboy models planning to come forward with similar allegations.
Goins alleged Playboy Mansion assault is similar to Huth's, although her account appears to be somewhat more cavalier on Cosby's part. Essentially, her claims revolve around Cosby drugging her in what appears to have been mid-conversation with Hugh Hefner and a friend that had invited her to the party. Hefner, given that the LAPD is looking into Goins' claims, may well be an important witness, though he has steadfastly remained on Cosby's team through the firestorm of allegations that have cropped up since November of last year.
"Bill Cosby has been a good friend for many years and the mere thought of these allegations is truly saddening," Hefner said in a statement. "I would never tolerate this kind of behavior, regardless of who was involved."
Goins' statement is now the most recent sexual assault allegation officially filed against Cosby, with the last one being Andrea Constand's 2005 case that was settled out of court. Currently, more than two-dozen women publicly accuse the comedian of sexual assault.
"This isn't something I really wanted out there about myself, but I saw all the women who had come forward, over 20 women and it grossed me out," Goins told the Mail in December. "I feel he needs to pay for it; he deserves to pay for it."