Disgraced Hollywood star Bill Cosby has quietly put one of his two New York City townhouses up for sale for nearly $11m (US$7m) amid an ongoing foreclosure battle over the property, and another of his Manhattan homes.
The 87-year old put the six-bedroom, four bathroom East 61st Street abode on the market last week — according to Realtor — four months after he was accused of defaulting on a US$4.2m loan that is tied to the four-storey house.
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In early December, the former “Cosby Show” star’s lender, CitiMortgage, filed a lawsuit with the Manhattan Supreme Court alleging that Cosby had fallen behind on payments for the 2010 loan, which was taken out using the same company that he and his wife, Camille, used for the purchase of the home.
The lender claim that Cosby and his wife owe US$3.7m in principal on the loan, as well as interest and fees.
And the financial woes continued to pile up for the once revered TV icon, as Cosby was then accused weeks later by another lender, First Foundation Bank, of defaulting on a US$17.5m loan taken out on a second townhouse located in Manhattan on East 71st Street.
In a lawsuit filed with the Manhattan Supreme Court on December 31, First Foundation Bank sought to force the sale of the Cosby’s home to recoup some of the money that its lawyers say the actor has failed to repay.
The $17.5m figure cited in court documents came from two loans taken out on the home: a $12.25m loan in 2010 and a $5.25m loan in 2014.
However, Cosby has thus far only listed the East 61st Street property for sale, with an asking price of $6.99m (AU$10.96m), around $200,000 more than it was estimated to have been worth in January of this year.
The listing makes no mention of the legal drama surrounding the dwelling, which Cosby purchased for $1.2m in 1980 and is understood to have initially been used as a home for Cosby’s late son, Ennis, who was murdered in Los Angeles in 1997.
The townhouse listing hailed the property as an “architectural gem”, describing its historical significance after it was built in 1905, but makes no mention of Cosby.
It also notes that, unlike condos and co-ops, the townhouse offers “privacy, scale, and authentic architectural grace” that cannot often be found in homes located in multi-unit buildings.
In addition to privacy, the home features an in-house lift that was only the 10th residential elevator to be installed in New York City, according to the listing.
There is also a private backyard, which has a seating area, fire pit, and barbecue, and primary bedroom features a Juliet terrace, as well as floor-to-ceiling windows that allow “sunlight to pour into the space.”
It’s unclear whether Cosby plans to list the other townhouse that is also at risk of foreclosure; however, according to Realtor, FirstFoundation bank had initially given the actor and his wife until December 12 to pay back the money owned on their two loans.
The foreclosure cases mark the latest in a long line of legal woes for Cosby, who has been accused of sexual assault, rape, and sexual harassment by more than 60 women in recent years.
In 2018, he was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault and sentenced to three to 10 years in prison.
He served three years before his conviction was sensationally overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2021.
Since then, it’s understood that Cosby and his wife—who remained with him throughout his sexual assault scandal—have been living primarily at their home in a suburb of Philadelphia.
The couple purchased that property for just $225,000 in 1983, shortly before “The Cosby Show” began airing.
That home, which has seven bedrooms and six bathrooms, is barricaded by gates and traffic cones — with Google Maps images showing a large sign out the front reading “Private property. No trespassing.”
While Cosby’s 2018 conviction was overturned, he has since faced several other allegations and lawsuits.
In June 2023, nine women filed a sexual assault lawsuit against the actor in a Nevada court, including former supermodel Janice Dickinson, accusing him of using his “enormous power, fame and prestige” to isolate and abuse them.
Then, in January, he was accused by another woman of drugging and sexually assaulting her in Las Vegas in 1986, when she was just 15.
Cosby attempted to have the lawsuits dismissed. However, his argument was thrown out by a judge in September.
