Cindra Ladd, wife of Hollywood producer Alan Ladd Jr., claims Bill Cosby sexually assaulted her in 1969

Another woman has publicly come out with allegations against embattled comedian Bill Cosby, claiming he sexually assaulted her in New York in 1969. She was 21 at the time.

Cindra Ladd, wife of prominent Hollywood producer Alan Ladd Jr., penned an essay for Huffington Post today detailing her allegations. She claims that in 1969, when she was working as a film producer in New York, she and Cosby began "hanging out."

Via HuffPo:

In 1969 I met Bill Cosby while working in New York for the late film producer Ray Stark. I was a 21-year-old single woman in the world's most exciting city. He was a 32-year-old internationally known comedian and television star, one of the most likeable and popular entertainers in the business. He asked for my number and I gave it to him.

We began hanging out, took in a movie, watched television and ate pizza and hot dogs in my apartment with my roommate. He was married to his current wife and he acted like a perfect gentleman who didn't come on to either of us, which, I have to admit, made me wonder what his objective was. 

One night, Ladd claims that Cosby gave her what he called a "miracle cure" for headaches after she complained that her head had been hurting. According to Ladd's write-up, Cosby's treatment of her in that aspect mirrors the use of pills we've heard of in other allegations:

One night we were going out to a movie. We agreed to meet at an apartment that he said belonged to a friend of his. I had a terrible headache but didn't want to cancel the evening. He told me he had a miracle cure his doctor had given him that would get rid of the headache. He went into another room and came back with a capsule. I asked a couple of times what it was. Each time he reassured me, asking, "Don't you trust me?" Of course I did. This was Bill Cosby.

After taking the pill, Ladd says she remembers "watching some kind of Japanese samurai movie" and "walking through Times Square" before "waking up the next morning nude in the bed of his friend's apartment." She claims it was clear Cosby had had sex with her:

What I do recall, vividly and clearly, is waking up the next morning nude in the bed of his friend's apartment and seeing Cosby wearing a white terrycloth bathrobe and acting as if there was nothing unusual. It was obvious to me that he had had sex with me. I was horrified, embarrassed and ashamed. There was a mirror above the bed, which shocked me further.

After some awkward small talk, I got out of there as fast as I could. Once in the elevator, I broke down crying, which I continued to do as I walked home to my apartment in the east 70s. It never occurred to me to go to the police. It was a different time and "date rape" was a concept that didn't exist. I just kept asking myself over and over in disbelief why this had happened to me. Other than my roommate, I did not discuss that night with anyone for 36 years. 

Despite the amount of time since the alleged incident, this is the first time Ladd has come forward. She writes in HuffPo that she does not plan to take press inquiries regarding her story, and that this seems like "the right thing to do":

This is the first time I have chosen to speak out about that night. It is also the last time I intend to address it publicly. I have no plans to sue, I don't want or need money. I have no plans for a press conference or for doing any interviews. 

So why speak out at all and why now? The simple answer is that it's the right thing to do. The truth deserves to be known. As I write this, more than 20 women have come forward, many with stories that are remarkably similar to mine. In response to these brave women, I have read comments like, "What took them so long?" and "What are they after now"? I would ask these people to remember that up until relatively recently, prosecuting rape was a "he said/she said" proposition where the victim was blamed for having worn "suggestive clothing" or questioned as to why she went somewhere with her rapist. 

Coincidentally, the year that Ladd says Cosby assaulted her, 1969, is the same year accuser Joan Tarshis says she was assaulted. That was also the same year Cosby joked about drugging women's drinks with "Spanish Fly" on his live album It's True! It's True!

More than 30 women have publicly accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault. Most recently, some 40 percent of Denver ticket buyers requested refunds for Cosby's scheduled dates there last week. Another accuser, Chloe Goins, is pursuing criminal charges against Cosby in her alleged 2008 incident. Cosby has never been charged with any crimes in any of the allegations against him.

[HuffPo]