Judge Shuts Down Bill Cosby's Bid to Stop Defamation Lawsuit From Accusers
This hasn't been a good week for Bill Cosby. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the comedian's bid to dismiss a libel lawsuit brought by three of his accusers was shut down.
The plaintiffs in the case — Tamara Green, Theresa Serignese and Linda Traitz — all claim they were sexually assaulted by Cosby, but due to the statute of limitations they cannot sue. However, the ladies claim that their reputations have been tarnished after Cosby's reps told the media the accusations were "fabricated," "ridiculous" and "absurd."
Cosby wanted their cases dismissed but U.S. District Judge Mark Mastroianni dismissed Cosby. "Given Defendant's prominence in the entertainment field, the court infers he surrounded himself with people accomplished in media relations and legal matter. The court also infers those making Defendant's public statements had an open line of communication with him as well as some historical perspective on his public relations matters. Based on the facts and inferences, the court finds it plausible at this point to conclude (1) those agents would have had, at a minimum, some sense of Defendant's alleged conduct, such that their duty of care would have required them to take steps to determine the truth or falsity of the statements, and (2) the content of their responsive statements demonstrates such reasonable care was not taken."
Basically, the lawsuit is going forward and it will be up to a jury to decide.
Take a look at how the scandal drastically influenced Cosby's legacy in the video below:
BET.com is your No. 1 source for Black celebrity news, photos, exclusive videos and all the latest in the world of hip hop and R&B music.
(Photo: Vince Bucci/Getty Images)