BOSTON — A woman who has accused Bill Cosby of sexually assaulting her in the 1970s filed a defamation lawsuit against him Wednesday, alleging he “publicly branded” her a liar through statements made by his lawyer and publicist.

Tamara Green said in the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Springfield, that Cosby drugged and assaulted her when she was an aspiring model and singer. She said she hoped the lawsuit would help her establish the truth about what happened.

Green first spoke publicly about the alleged attack in 2005. After she did media interviews, Cosby's lawyer and publicist made statements intended to expose her to public contempt and ridicule, she said in her lawsuit.

The attorney, Walter M. Phillips Jr., said he represented Cosby in 2005 but no longer does, and he declined to comment further. Messages left for the publicist, David Brokaw, weren't immediately returned.

Cosby is the lawsuit's only defendant. He has never been charged in connection with any sexual assault allegations.

In 2005, he settled a civil case filed by Andrea Constand, a former employee at Temple University in Philadelphia. Green was one of a dozen women prepared to testify in Constand's lawsuit that Cosby sexually assaulted them.

Cosby, through his representatives, has denied renewed allegations by women alleging assaults.

Green's attorney, Joseph Cammarata, held a news conference in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, and Green appeared via video. Green said it was important for her to prove she's not lying because “there's always been a slight doubt in everyone's mind as to the veracity of any of the allegations.”

ESCONDIDO, Calif. — A sport utility vehicle went airborne and sailed through the roof of a home in California's San Diego County, but the residents inside weren't hurt.The crash happened shortly before 12:30 a.m. Wednesday in Escondido.Police tell U-T San Diego the driver of a BMW lost control during a turn, went off a road and plunged through the roof of a home that sits about 20 feet below the road.Sgt. Jim Lanigan says the car was a loaner from a dealership and the driver fled.Homeowner George Strother says the BMW landed on the hood of his Nissan Pathfinder in his garage and knocked the ceiling down onto another car. He and his wife weren't hurt.