Loses appeal
Cosby’s appeal is dismissed by Montgomery County Judge O’Neill. After O’Neill said in previous hearing evidence was lacking that Cosby had a promise from a previous district attorney he would never be charged over the encounter with Constand, his lawyers had asked for an appeal to Superior Court. O’Neill:
An immediate appeal from these orders would not materially advance the ultimate termination of the matter.
There is no comment from Cosby’s lawyers.
Wants charges dropped based on 2005 deposition immunity
Lawyers for Cosby attempt to have aggravated indecent assault charges against the actor thrown out on the grounds that his 2005 videotaped deposition, in which he admits to drugging Constand, was made under the promise from prosecutors that he would be granted immunity from prosecution. Prosecutors in the current criminal case contend that there is no evidence of a signed immunity agreement, and that the case against Cosby should continue.
Must testify
A federal magistrate judge in Massachusetts rejects arguments by Camille Cosby that her deposition in the Constand case deposition would represent an “undue burden” and that she lacked any first-hand knowledge of the events at issue. Bill Cosby’s lawyer’s will appeal the ruling. The deposition is scheduled for next Wednesday.
Three sex-assault charges, bail set at $1m
Cosby is charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault on Constand in 2oo4, including that Cosby assaulted his victim while she was unconscious and without consent. DA Steele:
Upon examination of all of the evidence, today we are able to seek justice on behalf of Mr. Cosby’s victim.
From the complaint:
[Cosby rendered Constand] frozen, paralyzed, unable to move” by plying her with pills and wine, then penetrating her with his fingers when she was unconscious or unaware of what was happening.
Bail is set at $1 million. Cosby immediately posted $100,000. As a condition of his bail to surrender his passport. He is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing Jan. 14 at 9:30 a.m. That hearing will likely be held at Montgomery County Court in Norristown, according to the court documents. Cosby’s lawyer:
Make no mistake, we intend to mount a vigorous defense against this unjustified charge and we expect that Mr. Cosby will be exonerated by a court of law.
Sues seven accusers for defamation
In response to a defamation suit brought by his accusers, Cosby sues Green, Serignese, Traitz, Louisa Moritz, Bowman, Tarshis and Leslie for defamation, saying:
[The defendants] have made malicious, opportunistic and false and defamatory accusations of sexual misconduct against him. [They have] knowingly published false statements and accusations.
My statement re today's lawsuit filed by @BillCosby against all 7 accusers in Massachusetts lawsuit. pic.twitter.com/XRYoV4gXpC
— Monique Pressley (@MoniquePressley) December 14, 2015
Drops attorney
According to court papers, Cosby drops attorney Martin Singer, who has represented him for years. His new attorney is Christopher Tayback, a former prosecutor, who is with the firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart and Sullivan. Singer does not say when the relationship ended, citing attorney-client privilege. Allred:
Mr. Cosby has decided to hire 700 lawyers to fight one woman.
Defamation suit continues
Federal Judge Mastroianni says a defamation lawsuit brought against Cosby by three women who say he sexually abused them decades ago can move forward. Cosby’s lawyers had asked the judge to dismiss their suit, arguing that the remarks were personal opinions protected by the First Amendment and legal declarations made in his defense. Green, Serignese and Traitz have accused Cosby of drugging them and then having unwanted sexual contact with them. The defamatory comments range from statements dismissing their accusations as “ridiculous claims” and “absurd fabrication” to longer remarks that sought to discredit the accuser. Mastroianni:
The court recognizes that some jurisdictions do apply a version of the conditional self-defense privilege, which allows individuals, in certain circumstances, to publish defamatory responsive statements necessary to defend their reputation. However … such a privilege does not permit a defendant to knowingly publish false states.
Attorney for women:
We’d expect and hope the judge rejected every one of Mr. Cosby’s attempts to throw the case out of court and allowed the case to proceed.
Must testify
Cosby is ordered to give a sworn deposition to Allred, regarding Huth’s claims that he sexually abused her when she was 15 years old at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. Cosby will testify on 9 October, Huth will answer questions from Cosby’s lawyers on 15 October. Cosby’s lawyers had sought to compel Huth to give her deposition before the comedian, but the judge says Cosby should go first. Allred:
We are pleased that we will now be able to move ahead without further delay on Ms. Huth’s case, and we look forward to taking Mr. Cosby’s deposition.
Forced to testify
The California Supreme Court denies Cosby’s petition to review Huth’s suit, which means the civil suit can continue to the trial phase. Huth claims that Cosby sexually assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion in 1974 when she was 15 years old. Cosby’s attorneys had sought dismissal of Huth’s lawsuit on procedural grounds, arguing that she lacked required certification from a mental health professional to support her claims, and claiming she sued him only after failing to extort money from him to buy her silence. Her case is the only one of four that are seeking damages for sexual misconduct — the other three are for defamation. Allred says she will take Cosby’s deposition under oath within the next 30 days, and videotape it:
We are looking forward to Mr. Cosby answering questions under oath at his deposition. It’s a very big victory.
Seeks sanctions against Constand
Cosby files legal documents seeking court sanctions against Andrea Constand for her alleged breach of their confidentiality agreement. The filing says Constand’s request to open the entire Cosby settlement is an “obvious attempt to smear” the performer and says she should be sanctioned for leaking the nearly 1,000-page deposition transcript to the New York Times. Cosby’s filing also says that the deposition excerpts so far unsealed by the judge contain no testimony that he engaged in any non-consensual sex or gave anyone Quaaludes without their knowledge or consent.
Reading the media accounts, one would conclude that Defendant has admitted to rape. And yet Defendant admitted to nothing more than being one of the many people who introduced Quaaludes into their consensual sex life in the 1970s.
Claims he is not public figure to keep records sealed
In Pennsylvania, Cosby defends against the Associated Press’s call to unseal nine-year-old Constand court documents, saying he is not a public figure, there’s no public interest in the case, and that confidentiality should be maintained on materials described as posing a “real, specific threat of serious embarrassment.” After the settlement, AP challenged the sealing of certain motions brought in the case, but they were denied. Now AP is asking for the motions to be disclosed base on a local rule of civil procedure that presumes an unsealing of records after two years unless a judge disagrees. Cosby’s lawyer:
Moreover, unlike a deposition in a typical case, there is a voracious media appetite for Defendant’s deposition, and public release of it would quickly become widespread public knowledge of it. There is no doubt that public disclosure of the motions and Defendant’s sworn deposition testimony, which delves into the most intimate subjects imaginable, would generate a firestorm of publicity.
[Cosby] is not a public official, nor is the relevant information important to public health or safety… Defendant’s status as a well-known comedian and entertainer does not render him a ‘public’ person within the meaning of the law.
AP’s brief:
The defendant is the only party who objects to unsealing the record. However, now that the circumstances that he relied upon to gain preliminary sealing in this matter are nothing more than historic references, bypassed by recent public events, the files at issue should be unsealed.
Adding that Constand has waived her right to anonymity, the various Jane DFoes’ mentioned in her suit have come forward, and that
[Cosby is] unquestionably a public figure [and his conduct] a legitimate matter for public scrutiny.
Sues Cosby for defamation
Dickinson sues Cosby for defamation over denials made by the comedian’s representatives after she accused him of raping her in 1982. She seeks unspecified damages on defamation, false light and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and claims she has been further victimized and her reputation has suffered because of denials by Cosby’s attorney that the comedian drugged and raped her in a Lake Tahoe, California, hotel room. Suit:
Cosby knows that he drugged and raped Ms Dickinson. He knew that calling her rape disclosure a lie was a false statement.
Join defamation suit
Serignese and Traitz join a defamation lawsuit against Cosby, alleging that comments by Cosby’s representatives publicly branding them as liars. Attorney Joseph Cammarata:
The lawsuit provides an opportunity for women who claim to have been harmed to have their day in court in a forum where the truth can be tried.
Hires private investigators
Cosby pays six-figure fees to a team of private investigators, in an effort to find information to discredit his alleged accusers. Source:
The strategy isn’t new and it’s quite simple: You say I’m a bad guy, well, let’s see what gives you the right to throw a stone at my house when your home is also made of glass.
Won’t be charged in molestation claim
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office declines to file charges against Cosby in the alleged child sexual abuse charge made by Judy Huth, due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
Files defamation suit against Cosby
Green files suit against Cosby saying that he defamed her by declaring her claims that she was sexually assaulted by Cosby “absolutely false”. Filing:
Thus, by innuendo and effect, Defendant Cosby publicly branded Plaintiff Green a liar.
Joseph Cammarata, Green’s attorney:
This lawsuit provides an opportunity for Ms. Green and Mr. Cosby to litigate the truth or falsity of the comments. It provides them an opportunity to have their day in court, to present evidence and allow a jury to determine who is telling the truth and who isn’t. It’s that simple.
Alleges that Cosby drugged and raped her
Masten, a former Playboy bunny, alleges that Cosby drugged and raped her in an interview with CNN. Masten says she met Cosby while working at Playboy’s famous Chicago club in the late 1970’s which led to a dinner where Masten claims Cosby gave her a glass of Grand Marnier.
The next thing I knew, it was 4 o’clock in the morning. I woke up in a bed naked, bruised. He was laying next to me, and I slithered out of the bed… I got myself together, I went downstairs, I got in a cab, and I went home. There were bruise marks all over me. I knew I was raped.
Sues Cosby for sexual assault, defamation
Constand sues Cosby for an unspecified amount of money on allegations of sexual assault and of defamation stemming from statements that Cosby and his agents made about her to news outlets. Constand says she was director of operations for the Temple women’s basketball program when she met Cosby, one of the school’s most famous alumni and a trustee. She alleges she was visiting Cosby’s Main Line mansion in early 2004 when he gave her pills that he said were “herbal medication” to help her cope with stress. After consuming the pills, she said, she felt hazy but remembered Cosby touching her breasts and genitals.
In legal filings, Cosby denies assaulting Constand. He says the two were acquaintances who sometimes dined alone together or with friends.