Bill Cosby’s wife is slated to answer questions under oath in a defamation lawsuit brought against her husband by seven women who claim the comedian sexually assaulted them decades ago.
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U.S. District Judge Mark Mastroianni on Sunday night denied the defendant’s motion and ruled Camille Cosby would be deposed.
Camille does have the right not to answer questions, but Cammarata notes that her rights are limited and could result in a second deposition if a judge disagrees with any questions she decides not to answer.
A lawyer for the women argued that because Camille Cosby has been the TV star’s wife and business manager, she could have useful information.
Camille Cosby’s dual role as Cosby’s wife and business partner muddy that distinction, legal experts said. “Did he make payments of money to other women?” said the attorney, Joe Cammarata, in a preview of his line of questioning shared with NBC News. Cosby was holed up in the conference room for eight hours but lawyers said they only got around two-and-a-half hours’ worth of testimony from her. Lawyers also spent time discussing whether Cosby would be protected by marital privilege.
After numerous women went public with sexual-assault allegations against Bill Cosby, Camille Cosby issued a supportive statement, calling him “a kind man, a generous man, a amusing man, and a wonderful husband, father and friend”. They claim he portrayed them as liars, after they publicly accused him of sexually assaulting them.
In December, Bill Cosby, who played Dr. Cliff Huxtable on “The Cosby Show” from 1984 to 1992, was charged in Pennsylvania with drugging and sexually assaulting a former Temple University employee at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.
Fifty women have come forward with claims of sexual misconduct by Bill Cosby.
Under Massachusetts law, spouses can not be compelled to testify against one another in criminal cases.
Judge Hennessy said in his ruling however that he found “no merit in Mrs Cosby’s argument”. The emergency motion was meant to delay the deposition while she appealed the magistrate’s decision.
The Cosbys’ primary residence is an estate in Shelburne Falls, an hour north of Springfield.
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Cosby then countersued, accusing the women of conspiring to ruin his now-cancelled entertainment projects and insisted they made up their stories of abuse. Cosby is due for a preliminary hearing in the case on March 8.
