Artist sues newly freed Bill Cosby over 1990 hotel encounter

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A prominent Bill Cosby accuser has filed suit Thursday against the actor over a 1990 hotel room encounter in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Lili Bernard's lawsuit comes just before the state's two-year window to file older sexual assault claims expires.

Bernard tells The Associated Press she was prompted in part by Cosby's recent release from prison.

Since June, the 84-year-old Cosby has been free when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his 2018 conviction in another case.

Bernard says Cosby drugged and raped her when she was 26.

Bernard told the news outlet that she was raped in a hotel room after Cosby promised to mentor her on his top-ranked TV show.

A Cosby spokesperson says that so-called "look-back" windows violate a person's due process rights.

The case was filed in New Jersey, a state that allows victims of sexual assault to file lawsuits within a two-year window that otherwise might be considered too old.

According to the AP, that window to file lawsuits closes next month.