A day before an important hearing for his case, Bill Cosby made a decision to sue the woman who accused him of sexual assault more than a decade ago.
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Bill Cosby has filed a lawsuit against Andrea Constand, the only woman whose accusations against the comedian have lead to criminal charges against him.
Cosby filed a sealed breach-of-contract lawsuit this month that said the settlement barred Andrea Constand from “voluntarily” discussing the case with law enforcement.
Constand accused Cosby of drugging and molesting her at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.
Though the district attorney ruled that the case had “insufficient” evidence at the time, prosecutors are trying to reopen the case and Constand’s participation may put her in legal trouble.
The lawsuit, which was filed under seal in a federal court in Pennsylvania, named Andrea Constand and her attorneys, Dolores Troiani and Bebe Kivitz, the Times reported. So is Constand’s mother, Gianna Constand, and the publisher of The National Enquirer. The statue of limitations for numerous allegations has also passed.
The suit accuses all parties of “unjust enrichment, including but not limited to return of consideration paid under the 2006 Confidential Settlement Agreement”.
A judge disagreed, and said that the case against Cosby would proceed to trial.
As part of the renewed investigation Miss Constand and her mother were interviewed and files were obtained from her lawyers.
According to the criminal complaint against Cosby, Constand returned to Canada and told her mother about her encounter with Cosby in 2004.
No details of Cosby’s latest breach of contract claim were available, but it is believed to relate to them having talked to prosecutors.
Cosby’s preliminary hearing is scheduled on the felony case on March 8. Troiani also declined to comment.
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In December, Cosby filed a civil suit against seven of his accusers for defamation and the case is pending. Cosby’s lawyers are now appealing a Judge’s recent decision which rejected an alleged binding non prosecution agreement with former D.A. Bruce Castor.
