Former supermodel Janice Dickinson to sue Bill Cosby

Janice Dickinson is suing Bill Cosby for defamation. Photo / AP, Getty

Troubled comedian Bill Cosby is facing another legal headache after former supermodel Janice Dickinson became the latest alleged sexual assault victim to sue for defamation.

The runway star-turned-TV personality went public with her accusations of Cosby's inappropriate behaviour in November, claiming he gave her red wine and a mystery pill when she complained of stomach pains during a business dinner in Lake Tahoe, California in 1982.

Dickinson alleged she was there to discuss a possible role on the funnyman's hit sitcom, The Cosby Show.

She claims she woke up the next morning naked, recalling, "I remember before I passed out that I had been sexually assaulted by this man. Before I woke up in the morning, the last thing I remember was Bill Cosby in a patchwork robe, dropping his robe and getting on top of me. And I remember a lot of pain. The next morning I remember waking up with my pyjamas off and there was semen in between my legs."

Cosby's attorney, Marty Singer, subsequently blasted the allegation as "a complete lie", but now Dickinson wants to pursue the case in court.

The statute of limitations on Dickinson's rape claim has long passed, but she is now suing for defamation and emotional distress, just like three other women with similar stories of sexual misconduct, who pressed on with their lawsuits at the beginning of the year.

According to legal papers obtained by TMZ.com, Dickinson is seeking unspecified damages.

The TV star is just one of more than 20 women who have spoken out about similar decades-old incidents involving alleged unwanted advances from the comedian. Cosby has faced multiple accusations of sexual assault in the past and settled a lawsuit in 2006. He has never been charged over the allegations. His representatives have yet to comment on Dickinson's legal action.

- WENN