Alleged Cosby sex assault victim asks Nevada legislators to change law

CARSON CITY — An alleged sexual assault victim of comedian Bill Cosby asked the Assembly Judiciary Committee on Friday to approve a bill that would eliminate the criminal statute of limitations for rape in Nevada.

Lise-Lotte Lublin, who alleged that Cosby drugged and assaulted her in 1989 at a suite at the Las Vegas Hilton, said that when she finally filed a complaint against Cosby with Las Vegas police in 2014, she was told there was no ability to prosecute because of the statute of limitations had long run out.

It took a few minutes for Lublin to gather herself before testifying.

When she began, Lublin said Cosby asked her to sit with him and have two drinks, which she said had been drugged. After consuming them., Lublin said she lost consciousness. Her next memory was of waking up at home.

“I will never see justice,” she said, her voice choking with emotion. “And I didn’t do anything wrong. If I had had an idea of what had happened, I would have filed a report 25 years ago.”

Lublin said she never imagined Cosby would hurt her.

“I now understand that the law prevents the victim in my circumstances from seeking justice,” she said. “Why would the law want to prevent me from seeking justice.”

The only purpose appears to be to protect the assailant, Lublin said.

“So who is protecting the victim?” she asked. “The law is on his side.”

Lublin testified for Assembly Bill 212, sponsored by Assemblywoman Irene Bustamante Adams, D-Las Vegas. Lublin is a constituent of the lawmaker.

Lublin came forward with her allegations in February in a press conference with attorney Gloria Allred, who also testified for the bill as did Lublin’s husband, Benjamin Lublin.

The committee took no immediate action on the bill.

Cosby was never mentioned by name.

Judiciary Chairman Ira Hansen, R-Sparks, asked that any alleged perpetrator not be named, saying the hearing was not a trial.

Even if the Legislature changes the current law, which requires a prosecution to begin within four years of a rape, it won’t help Lublin directly. Any change would be prospective and not change the rules in her case.

Allred said she is testifying because she also represents a number of other women who allege that they were drugged and sexually assaulted by Cosby in Nevada, but who are also unable to either file a civil lawsuit against Cosby or have him criminally prosecuted because it is too late to do either under the existing statute of limitations.

Another alleged Nevada victim is Heidi Thomas, who has said in media interviews that she was assaulted by Cosby in 1984 while he was performing in Reno.

About 20 women have alleged Cosby assaulted them over the years, claims which he and his attorney deny.

Nevada law enforcement officials testified in favor of the bill, as did other organizations, including the Nevada Network Against Domestic Violence and the Rape Crisis Center in Las Vegas

The only opposition came from Las Vegas attorney Lisa Rasmussen, who said the current statute is already very liberal. While sympathetic to Lublin’s experience, making the statute open-ended could result in people having to defend themselves from incidents that had happened 35 years previously, she said.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada testified as neutral on the bill, suggesting that a longer statute of limitations would be preferable to an open-ended statute.

Contact Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3900. Find him on Twitter: @seanw801.