Judge Rules to Keep Cosby Docs Sealed
Certain legal filings in the sexual assault lawsuit filed against comedian Bill Cosby will remain sealed for now.
The decision, ruled Friday by U.S. District Judge Eduardo C. Robreno Jr., covers some documents which contain extensive portions of depositions by Cosby and his accuser.
The Associated Press had sought to have the documents unsealed, a motion supported by the plaintiff. The AP has not decided whether to appeal as of Friday.
The 68-year-old Cosby is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting the plaintiff at his suburban Philadelphia mansion in early 2004. Attorneys for Cosby say the comedian gave the woman Benadryl after she complained of stress and sleeping problems.
Cosby's lawyer said in court earlier this week that the woman wants the documents made public only to release "incriminating" and "salacious" information before the trial.
But the woman's lawyers contend that Cosby has given at least three media interviews about the case and joked about it during a performance, yet has managed to keep secret damaging court filings.
Robreno previously denied Cosby's request for a gag order and the plaintiff's request to shield the names of 12 other women who say Cosby assaulted them.
The plaintiff, who is in her mid-30s, once worked at Temple University but now lives in her native Ontario, Canada. She is identified in court documents, but The Associated Press does not publish names of alleged sexual assault victims without their consent.
No trial date has been set in the civil lawsuit.