Former Bills’ linebacker Cornelius Bennett sued for sexual assault of teen at Brighton bar

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — Former Buffalo Bills linebacker Cornelius Bennett is being accused of sexually assaulting a teenager at a bar in Brighton back in the 1990’s, a new lawsuit filed this week showed.

Bennett is accused of assaulting the girl, who was 17 at the time, at the Otter Lodge in Brighton in 1992. The suit, which was filed in Monroe County Court, says the teen was working there when Bennett, fellow players, and the Buffalo Jills cheerleading squad were in attendance.

He’s accused of pushing the teen into a downstairs phone booth and, while attempting to undress her, he allegedly sexually touched her, despite her calls to stop.

"[Bennett] acted with extreme and outrageous conduct that would shock the conscience of a reasonable person," the suit says.

The suit was filed under New York’s Child Victims Act and includes the Buffalo Bills, and the National Football League. The previously mentioned entities are accused of negligence in failing to properly supervise Bennett.

He previously pleaded guilty to sexual assault in a May 1997 incident at a hotel in Buffalo. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail for sexual misconduct. He was also placed on three years’ probation, fined $500, and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service, among other punishments.

Bennett played for the Bills from 1987 to 1995 and was a key part of the team’s Super Bowl runs through the early 1990s.

In the most recent case, the survivor is seeking damages for severe emotional distress and other suffering.