Claim: Bill Cosby has been accused of sexual battery.

American comedian Bill Cosby has been the subject of publicized sexual assault allegations . With the earliest incidents allegedly taking place in the mid-1960s , Cosby has been accused by over 60 women of either rape , drug facilitated sexual assault , sexual battery , child sexual abuse , and/or sexual misconduct . Earlier sexual assault allegations against Cosby became more public after an October 2014 comedy routine by comedian Hannibal Buress alluding to Cosby 's covert sexual misbehavior went viral , and many additional claims were made after that date . The dates of the alleged incidents span from 1965 to 2008 across 10 U.S. states and one Canadian province .   Cosby has maintained his innocence and repeatedly denied the allegations . In November 2014 , in response to a question about the allegations , Cosby said : `` I do n't talk about it . '' Cosby has declined to publicly discuss the accusations in past interviews . However , he told Florida Today , `` people should n't have to go through that and should n't answer to innuendos . '' In May 2015 he said , `` I have been in this business 52 years and I 've never seen anything like this . Reality is a situation and I ca n't speak . ''   In the wake of the allegations , numerous organizations have severed ties with the comedian , and previously awarded honors and titles have been revoked . Reruns of The Cosby Show and other shows featuring Cosby have also been pulled from syndication by many organizations . Twenty-five colleges and universities have rescinded his honorary degrees . In an attempt to explain the backlash against Cosby , Adweek reporter Jason Lynch noted that the `` media landscape has changed considerably -- and has now been joined by the far-less-forgiving social media arena . ''   Most of the alleged acts fall outside the statutes of limitations for criminal legal proceedings , but criminal charges have been filed against Cosby in one case and numerous civil lawsuits have been brought against him . As of November 2015 , eight related civil lawsuits are active against Cosby , including two that also target Cosby 's lawyer and one that also implicates his wife and manager Camille Cosby . Gloria Allred is representing 33 of the alleged victims . In July 2015 , some of the court records from Andrea Constand 's 2005 civil lawsuit against Cosby were unsealed and released to the public . The full transcript of his deposition was also released to the media by a court reporting service . In his testimony , Cosby admitted to casual sex , involving recreational use of the sedative-hypnotic methaqualone -LRB- Quaaludes -RRB- , with a series of young women , and acknowledged that his dispensing the prescription drug was illegal .   On December 30 , 2015 , three Class II Felony charges of aggravated indecent assault were filed against Cosby in Montgomery County , Pennsylvania , based on allegations by Constand concerning incidents in January 2004 .