After denying a motion to suppress any testimony by Bill Cosby‘s wife, Camille, in the upcoming sexual assault case against the entertainer, the judge has ordered that Camille Cosby’s deposition be kept “under seal” — which means no member of the public will be made privy to her statements.
The order was entered by Magistrate Judge David Hennessy in U.S. District Court in Springfield, Massachusetts, reports Reuters. Camille Cosby, the entertainer’s wife of over 50 years and his business manager, is expected to be deposed on Wednesday.
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Cosby’s lawyers argued that the intimate nature of the questions Camille Cosby could face may cause her traumatizing embarrassment if they were released publicly, and Hennessy agreed.
Bill Cosby was booked on a sexual assault charge on Dec. 30, marking the start of criminal proceedings against the 78-year-old actor after more than 50 women accused him of drugging and sexually assaulting them. He was charged with aggravated indecent assault, punishable by five to 10 years behind bars and a $25,000 fine.
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Cosby entered no plea to the charge at his arraignment, where bail was set at US $1 million. He was released shortly afterwards after payment of his bail.
The woman at the centre of the case is Andrea Constand, a Toronto massage therapist who was a Temple University employee in Pennsylvania at the time of the alleged assault.
She told police that Cosby drugged her and violated her by putting his hands down her pants at his mansion in suburban Philadelphia in 2004, but no charges were initially laid.
One of Cosby’s lawyers, Monique Pressley, said on the Today show that her client is innocent.
“My client is not guilty,” she said. “And there will be no consideration on our part of any sort of arrangement.”
Over the past month, Cosby has filed lawsuits against eight of his accusers — including model Beverly Johnson — claiming they have committed “malicious, opportunistic, and false and defamatory accusations of sexual misconduct” against him. He is seeking unspecified damages.
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With files from The Associated Press
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