(NewsNation) — A former Playboy model is suing Bill Cosby, accusing the disgraced comedian and actor of drugging and raping her in 1969, under a new California law that suspends the statute of limitations on sex abuse claims.
In her lawsuit, Victoria Valentino, 80, says she was an actress and singer 54 years ago when she met Cosby, now 85. The comedian and actor later approached her at a Los Angeles café, where he spotted her crying over the recent drowning death of her 6-year-old son.
Valentino joined “NewsNation Prime” to tell her story, saying rape can cause what she called “generational trauma.”
“Rape is not like any other crime. It’s not like somebody steals your car and you can get it back and get it repaired. What is stolen from a rape victim can never be replaced,” Valentino said. “It impacts your future children. It impacts their children, and they don’t even know where all this, you know, trauma behavior and fear and phobias originate. So, it’s generational trauma.”
In an interview after Valentino’s suit was filed, Cosby’s spokesperson said the women accusing Cosby of sexual assault were “victims of greed.”
In response, Valentino told NewsNation, “This is not greed. This is a day of reckoning. This is not greed. This is accountability. After all these years, finally, the law has changed and allowed us a one-year window in which we can seek tangible justice.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.