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BREAKING: Judge Agrees To Delay Deposition Of Bill Cosby’s Wife

Bill Cosby arrives at court to face a felony charge of aggravated indecent assault CREDIT: AP PHOTO/MATT ROURKE
Bill Cosby arrives at court to face a felony charge of aggravated indecent assault CREDIT: AP PHOTO/MATT ROURKE

A judge granted Camille Cosby’s request to delay her deposition, scheduled for Wednesday, while she tries to convince a court to block it permanently.

Three days ago, U.S. Magistrate Judge David Hennessy rejected Camille Cosby’s request to not be deposed in the civil case — in which seven of the women who have accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault are suing him for defamation — despite her insistence that she had no personal knowledge of events. Cosby’s lawyers filed a motion on Monday asking Hennessy to postpone her deposition, which was scheduled for Wednesday at 9:00 a.m.; that stay was granted on Tuesday.

“The judge’s ruling permits Mrs. Cosby an opportunity to appeal,” Joe Cammarata, attorney for the seven women, told ThinkProgress by phone. “We’re confident that we will ultimately be able to take Mrs. Cosby’s deposition in the near future.”

Camille Cosby’s lawyers wrote a 12-page motion asking for the delay. “Without a stay of her deposition,” it read, “both Mrs. Cosby’s privacy and freedom will be put at issue in a case to which she is not a party, and for which she is not alleged to have any personal, first-hand knowledge.”

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In the meantime, depositions of the seven women — Tamara Green, Therese Serignese, Linda Traitz, Louisa Moritz, Barbara Bowman, Joan Tarshis and Angela Leslie — will likely take place.

READ MORE: Bill Cosby Countersued 7 Of His Accusers. What Happens Next?

The lawsuit from the seven women was originally filed in 2014 by Green, Serignese, and Traitz. In December, Cosby countersued, accusing the women of “engag[ing] in a campaign to assassinate Mr. Cosby’s reputation and character by willfully, maliciously, and falsely accusing Mr. Cosby of engaging in sexual misconduct in an opportunistic attempt to extract financial gain from their allegations.” As none of these women can sue Cosby for sexual assault (the statute of limitations on all their cases has expired), Cosby’s countersuit could provide them with a new avenue for justice. A court will need to determine who is defaming whom, which means determining who is telling the truth.

Tuesday’s ruling comes less than a week after Bill Cosby was charged in Pennsylvania with sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004. The official charge, “aggravated indecent assault,” is part of the only criminal charge against the comedian, who has been publicly accused of sexual misconduct by over 50 women to date.