Justice will be served. A federal judge ruled on Friday, Oct. 9, that a defamation lawsuit brought against Bill Cosby by three women who said the comic sexually abused them decades ago will be moving forward — a major development in the ongoing case.
Earlier this year, the three women — Tamara Green, Therese Serignese, and Linda Traitz — claimed that their reputations were damaged by remarks made about their allegations against Cosby by his representatives, including phrases like “ridiculous claims” and “absurd fabrication.”
Cosby’s lawyers tried to get the case dismissed, but U.S. District Court Judge Mark Mastroianni decided Friday that the case would move on.
“The court recognizes that some jurisdictions do apply a version of the conditional self-defense privilege, which allows individuals, in certain circumstances, to publish defamatory responsive statements necessary to defend their reputation,” he wrote in a 38-page ruling. “However …such a privilege does not permit a defendant to knowingly publish false statements of fact.”
As a result of his ruling, Cosby will have to face off against lawyer Gloria Allred in a deposition, the details of which won’t be released to the public until late December.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Allred explained that she’ll have up to seven hours to grill the 78-year-old comedian about her client’s allegations that he molested her at the Playboy Mansion back in 1974 when she was just 15 years old.
“We have worked to move this case forward,” she told ET. “This is part of the battle — against a high-profile celebrity, it’s always an enormous challenge. But we have, in the past, taken cases against many, many high-profile celebrities and we are very much geared up for that battle and ready for it.”
The former TV star has maintained his innocence in Judy Huth case, but Allred is confident that she can get to the bottom of the incident.
“I’ve been practicing for almost 40 years — that’s what we do,” she continued. “We fight hard and we fight to win.”