Bill Cosby's Accusers Get Together; Cosby's Case and Statute of Limitations
HARLOW: Bill Cosby facing the fight of his career. 21 women now accused him of rape. And five of them sat down with our own Don Lemon and Alisyn Camerota for last night special, "The Cosby Show: A Legend under Fire." Here's a clip of how they describe the comic legend, the man that America came to know as America's favorite television dad.</s>VICTORIA VALENTINO, FORMER PLAYMATE, ACCUSES BILL COSBY OF RAPE: I can't look at him. 44 years when his picture went across the screen, when it was in a magazine or a newspaper or I heard his name mentioned I had to walk away, change the channel.</s>PATTI "P.J." MASTEN, ACCUSES BILL COSBY OF RAPE: It makes me sick to my stomach just to look at him. Just sick to my stomach. You know, he's pretty much -- probably the world's greatest actor because he fooled a lot of people. He fooled a lot of people.</s>KRISTINA RUEHLI, ACCUSES BILL COSBY OF RAPE: He has the same MO with all of us. He identifies a vulnerable victim. He then gets them alone or lures them into a place, sometimes where other people are in proximity. He drugs them, he does his thing with him and then sometimes he waits for them to wake up so he can -- yet more contempt.</s>JOAN TARSHIS, ACCUSES BILL COSBY OF RAPE: I had said that I've lost my anger towards the man and the resentment towards the man, but I wonder if that's really because of what's happening to him now. Because this is what I dreamt. This is what I dreamt of for years they can kill ...</s>HARLOW: Great. Don Lemon and also CNN commentator and legal analyst Mel Robbins join me now. Don, that was a fascinating program, them all coming together. I'm wondering. That was just a short clip of the whole hour. What struck you most?</s>DOM LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Jeez, one thing that struck me most? I think when we -- when I asked what do you want to happen to Bill Cosby and Joan Tarshis said "What I want to happen to Bill Cosby is what's happening now."</s>HARLOW: Public shame and humiliation.</s>LEMON: Yeah, it's because she said for someone like him, that's a fate worse than death, for someone who is - in her estimation has built his career on a lie or at least his public persona on a lie so that's the worst thing to happen.</s>HARLOW: So, that's her take. I'm sure, Mel, there are others that would say I want to see the legal process play out here as much as it can. The issue is the statute of limitations in California and New York.</s>MEL ROBBINS, CNN COMMENTATOR AND LEGAL ANALYST: Right. And it's really tricky. I mean in California you only have ten years after a rape. If it's of somebody that is, you know, an adult to bring any kind of criminal charges. You have up to the age of 28 if the attack happened when you're a minor. But on the criminal side, that's it. Age 28, no more prosecutions. I find it very interesting, though, that the LAPD is now saying that they're willing to investigate these claims despite that. We saw that happening in the sex abuse case against the Catholic Church in Boston. They investigated despite the criminal statute of limitations.</s>HARLOW: So, what could that mean legally, Mel? Are there loopholes here, basically? Where he could be criminally charged?</s>ROBBINS: You know, I think that they're ...</s>HARLOW: You don't think ...</s>ROBBINS: You know, I think they are kind of doing that to appease, but ...</s>LEMON: Right. And it's also the way that it was handled, because if you are - there are all these different things that you have to go through. You can't name the accuser, she's already named the accuser. Just little things that are, you know, sort of ...</s>ROBBINS: I think what's happening here is you're seeing more that they're responding to something ...</s>LEMON: Right.</s>ROBBINS: And opening an investigation because nothing happened back then.</s>HARLOW: So, they may bring things to light but not charge him.</s>ROBBINS: Correct.</s>LEMON: Legally. And that's why - that's why Gloria Allred wants to have them waive the statute of limitations and all those things, because it's really nothing legally that can happen.</s>ROBBINS: On the criminal side.</s>LEMON: On the criminal side. And that's ...</s>HARLOW: Civil side.</s>LEMON: Civil side. And that's why he's not saying anything.</s>HARLOW: Well, that's what I was just going to say, Don, right? You have been following this so closely on your show in particular, I'm sure you've asked Bill Cosby and have seen him a number of times for interview.</s>LEMON: Yes.</s>HARLOW: And I just wonder what you think about him not speaking after 21 women have come forward.</s>LEMON: I think initially when I was in contact with these people during the early stages of this they were willing to, you know, consider the possibility of coming on or giving a statement or go to the attorneys. Now it is just radio silence because so many people have come forward and I just don't think that he wants to expose himself to anything. And as, you know, as we just said - civil ...</s>HARLOW: But not even a statement in a controlled environment.</s>LEMON: He's made - he's made one statement and that has been on Twitter ...</s>HARLOW: Right.</s>LEMON: You know, to his supporters, to Jill Scott and Whoopi Goldberg saying thank you for your support. That's the only statement that has come from Bill Cosby, at least from his Twitter account. The other statements have come from his attorney.</s>HARLOW: So, Mel, if you're his lawyer, it's a right move?</s>ROBBINS: Shut up is what I would say. You're not talking to anyone about anything. Because there's a pending civil suit. Under California law there's a teeny loophole that allows somebody to bring a claim civilly so they have what they call the delayed discovery rule which basically means that if you were sexually abused as a minor and you only way later discover the fact that the psychological injuries that you have as an adult link back to what happened to you as a kid, you can bring a civil lawsuit which is what one of the victims has done, as long as you have a certified affidavit from a licensed psychologist.</s>LEMON: Well, that strick (ph) me. There's so many stipulations with that, though, too, as well, right? And with that - I was kind of ...</s>HARLOW: We're out of time, we have got to go. But I will ...</s>LEMON: I ...</s>HARLOW: I misspoke when I said he hasn't said anything. His lawyer has unequivocally denied any of these allegations.</s>ROBBINS: And bashed the victims.</s>HARLOW: Are true. Mel Robbins, Don Lemon, thank you. Fascinating. I appreciate it. Still to come here on "THE NEWSROOM," the Obamacare architect, the one who called American voters like you and me stupid facing off with the White House and with Republicans on Capitol Hill right now. Our Joe Johns is monitoring it for us in Washington. Good morning, Joe.</s>JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Poppy. A full mea culpa from Jonathan Gruber, the MIT economics professor who served as the key advisor on the Affordable Care Act. He was caught on video saying "public stupidity and a lack of transparency helped the bill." Now both Democrats and Republicans have him on the hot seat here on Capitol Hill. We'll have that coming up next.