Bill Cosby Rape Allegations: Comedian Reportedly Argues He's Not a Public Figure in Hopes of Keeping Old Court Documents Sealed
Bill Cosby argued he's not a public figure in court proceedings earlier this week aimed at trying to keep documents sealed in a sex abuse lawsuit he now faces.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, attorneys for the 77-year-old Cosby told a Pennsylvania court judge there is no legitimate public interest in their client's case and thus confidentiality should be of the utmost importance. They added some of the documents in question pose a "real, specific threat of serious embarrassment" to the famed entertainer.
The website notes the initial case dates all the way back to 2006 when Cosby settled a lawsuit filed against him by Andrea Constand, reportedly the first woman to publicly claim the now embattled comedian once drugged and sexually assaulted her.
At the time of the settlement, The Associated Press filed motions to have documents related to the case publicly released but were rebuffed in their ongoing efforts. Several months ago, the media conglomerate sought to revisit the issue after several more women publicly stepped forward to accuse Cosby of similar offenses.
AP officials then sent a letter to the court demanding a review of the 9-year-old order under a local rule of civil procedure that presumes an unsealing of records after two years unless specifically mandated by the judge at the time of the ruling.
Details of the settlement have taken on renewed importance in the wake of a defamation suit filed against Cosby by three women in Massachusetts claiming that he sullied their reputations by branding them liars when they went public with their sex assault accusations against him.
The Hollywood Reporter previously noted the three accusers are intent on inspecting the Constand case documents for any "admissions" Cosby may have made related to any of them during discovery responses or the deposition phase.
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