Bill Cosby Wants To Keep Sex Assault Court Records Secret, Since They’re “Embarrassing”
If you’ve been following the Cosby saga, (and who hasn’t?) you’ll really love this. According to the Hollywood Reporter, on Wednesday, Cosby and his lawyers tried to convince a Pennsylvania judge that Cosby is “not a public figure.”
Bill Cosby has been an entertainer for more than half a century. He has won Grammy Awards, Emmy Awards, honorary degrees, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and sold out shows as one of the most famous stand-up comedian for decades.
But he says not a public figure. Hmm. Okay.
Over nine years ago, Cosby settled a lawsuit with Andrea Constand, a Temple University employee who was the first woman to publicly come forward with claims of being drugged and raped by the comedian. Cosby and Constand reached an undisclosed settlement subject to a confidentiality order, and the court documents have never been released. A Pennsylvania law allows for the unsealing of court records two years after the case is settled. Cosby’s lawyers are now aggressively trying to prevent their release.
His attorneys claim that there is “no legitimate public interest” in a years-old sexual abuse lawsuit. They also warned that unsealing such records was a threat to Cosby, offering a “real, specific threat of serious embarrassment.”
Reports say that Constand has no objection to releasing the court records. The dozen women who anonymously agreed to testify against Cosby in this case have all since come forward to the public. The judge will have to decide if they should release the records of a case in which the defendant currently has over 40 women who have gone on public record to claim that they were assaulted. Or, if the judge believes that Cosby is just a regular guy, out of the public eye, who shouldn’t have to face something as “embarrassing” as details of at least one of over 40 sexual abuse charges.
