A Baldwin Borough woman who appeared on TV with Bill Cosby three decades ago while an aspiring actress and model today sued the comedian, alleging as have dozens of other women around the country that the once-beloved and influential entertainer drugged and molested her.
Renita Hill, 48, claims that the star -- best known for his portrayal of Dr. Cliff Huxtable in “The Cosby Show” and his Jell-O pudding commercials, and now infamous for being the subject of accusations that he is a serial molester -- gave her a bit part on television, funded her college education and pledged to assist her career, all while sporadically sexually abusing her from 1983 to 1987.
“He was very charming and disarming and presented himself as a trustworthy father figure,” George Kontos, one of Ms. Hill’s attorneys, said in an interview. “Cosby really ingratiated himself with her family. He called and spoke to her parents, assured that he would take her under his wing...You can imagine how difficult it must have been and how trapped she must have felt when the underside of all that had been shown to her.”
While the complaint, filed in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, accuses the TV star of plying Ms. Hill in the 1980s with spiked drinks and assaulting her at various hotel rooms in Atlantic City, New York City and Denver, the counts alleged do not directly pertain to any sexual misdeeds.
Instead Ms. Hill is claiming that Mr. Cosby last year defamed her, cast her in a false light and intentionally inflicted emotional distress. She is seeking a jury trial.
Those counts stem from allegations that the celebrity, his wife and business manager, Camille Cosby, and his attorney, Martin Singer, made statements that portrayed Ms. Hill as a liar and extortionist -- even though none of the statements mentioned Ms. Hill by name. Mr. Singer could not immediately be reached for comment.
According to the complaint, all three made their comments after Ms. Hill did an interview that aired Nov. 20 with KDKA-TV describing her relationship with Mr. Cosby and accusing him of untoward behavior over several years while she attended Vincentian Academy in McCandless and, later, Temple University and Spelman College -- paid for, she claims, by the star.
"Cosby was extremely powerful, wealthy and influential in status," the complaint states. "Renita was young impressionable and seemingly powerless. It was apparent to Renita that taking on such a powerful figure with such allegations would exact a severe emotional toll that she was incapable of undertaking. Also, she had no idea at that time of the many other women who would ultimately come forward and share their similar experiences with Cosby."
The complaint says Ms. Hill kept quiet for decades about the alleged abuse by Mr. Cosby. But after learning that other women claimed to have had similar experiences, she felt comfortable coming forward.
"In the interview, Renita revealed much of the above-mentioned fact pattern and explained that she felt compelled to come forward after hearing Cosby's [sic] criticize the other women who came forward," according to the complaint.
That interview was picked up by news outlets internationally and came as allegations against Mr. Cosby -- all denied by the comedian and his legal team -- were reaching a fever pitch.
Among the accusers was Barbara Bowman, whose op-ed piece, "Bill Cosby raped me. Why did it take 30 years for people to believe my story?" was published Nov. 13 in the Washington Post.
The day after the KDKA interview, the lawsuit states, Mr. Cosby's attorney, Mr. Singer, issued a statement that said: "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." Mr. Singer also described the claims as "increasingly ridiculous..."
Other statements made by Mr. Cosby and his wife were also viewed by Mr. Kontos and attorney Katie A. Killion who are working together on the case, as calling into question Ms. Hill's integrity.
"Renita put herself out there in a public way. I believe it's more than clear that these comments were directed to her specifically as someone who came out and told the truth about Cosby's allegations," Mr. Kontos said. "Renita was very traumatized by his actions, by his retaliation. It had a very significant effect on her emotionally and otherwise."
Mr. Kontos acknowledged that he does not know exactly how many alleged instances of abuse there were involving Ms. Hill, the dates they occurred or what specifically happened because his client, according to the complaint, often woke up in a hotel room "nude, disheveled, confused and disoriented." He also said his client never went to police or her parents. Mr. Kontos said he has "other evidence" to bolster Ms. Hill's claims, but he declined to divulge it.
Ms. Hill -- who was then Renita Chaney -- met Mr. Cosby around 1982 when she was in high school, the complaint says. At that time Ms. Hill was modeling clothes for department stores such as Kaufmann's and JCPenney.
Ms. Hill and several other young women who were aspiring models and actresses were introduced to Mr. Cosby at the former Froggy's, a Downtown restaurant and bar, the complaint says. Mr. Kontos believes the meeting was facilitated by the talent agency representing Ms. Hill. At the time, the star was seeking a co-host for a Walt Disney-produced educational television segment called "Picture Pages."
Ms. Hill began working with Mr. Cosby on the program. But a short time later, according to the complaint, the entertainer asked her to meet him at various places where he was performing. Mr. Kontos said Mr. Cosby would send a limousine or car to pick up Ms. Hill. Her parents accompanied her at least once, Mr. Kontos said, but not when any alleged abuse occurred.
For about four years, starting while Ms.Hill was still in high school, the suit claims, Mr. Cosby would arrange for a hotel room, provide alcohol to her there, then summon her to his room, and give her a glass “with some form of liquid in it and instruct her to ‘drink that.’ “
Ms. Hill complied and would then pass out, the suit claims.
Once, the suit says, Ms. Hill did not fully lose consciousness. She claims she remembers Mr. Cosby touching her sexually and getting mad when she made a comment about his “cigar breath.” That, according to Mr. Kontos, was the most vivid memory his client has of any alleged abuse.
When Ms. Hill finished up her second year at Spelman College, the complaint said she decided to break off contact with Mr. Cosby. That, in turn, the suit says, led Mr. Cosby to discontinue funding her education.
Ms. Hill got out of acting and went on to raise three children. She most recently worked for Verizon but is currently unemployed.
“This was a long time coming for her,” Mr. Kontos said. “This happened to her when she was a young woman. To carry that with her all of these years was an incredible burden. I think she felt a lot of pain and anguish.”
Jonathan D. Silver: jsilver@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1962 or on Twitter @jsilverpg.
First Published: October 14, 2015, 8:42 p.m.
