Cosby Accuser May Have Way Around Statute of Limitations

Tamara Green is one of the women who say Bill Cosby sexually assaulted her decades ago, and she has just filed suit against him in Massachusetts. But instead of assault, the lawsuit is going after Cosby for defamation. Green says that Cosby's denials of the alleged assault have hurt her reputation, and TMZ reports that the legal tactic gives her a chance to sue Cosby without running into statute-of-limitations problems: The alleged assault may be 40 years old, but Cosby's denials are more recent.

The Hollywood Reporter observes that while Cosby's attorneys quickly reject the accusations of any women coming forward for the first time, they're far more careful when speaking about previous accusers. That might be because they're wary of opening him up to lawsuits by "breaching any confidentiality obligations he has from prior settlements," writes Eriq Gardner. He notes that high-profile attorney Gloria Allred has challenged Cosby to waive the statute of limitations on the abuse claims, but Cosby hasn't obliged. (More Bill Cosby stories.)