Lawyer: Cosby using courts to bully accuser, witnesses
Source: Associated Press
Feb 23, 3:41 PM EST
Lawyer: Cosby using courts to bully accuser, witnesses
By MARYCLAIRE DALE
Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Bill Cosby is using secret court filings to try to bully and intimidate the accuser and other witnesses in his criminal sex-assault case, the woman's lawyers charged in a new court filing.
Cosby filed a sealed lawsuit this month against accuser Andrea Constand the day before a key pretrial hearing in the criminal case. He said the Canadian massage therapist had violated the settlement of their confidential 2005 civil suit when she talked to police, who reopened the criminal case last year.
Cosby, 78, demanded that Constand repay the settlement money along with interest and damages. The amount of the 2006 settlement remains private.
The comedian and actor also sued Constand's mother and lawyers, who were likewise bound by the confidential settlement. The Feb. 1 suit was filed a day before lawyers Dolores Troiani and Bebe Kivitz testified against Cosby in his bid to have the criminal charges thrown out.
Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BILL_COSBY_PAOL-?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-02-23-15-41-48
JoeyT
(6,785 posts)Not even as terms of a settlement. I'm not sure that could be legally binding. It shouldn't be legally binding, anyway.
cstanleytech
(26,312 posts)and some states instituted laws afterwards barring settlements from hindering police investigations.
Question is was this settlement made in a state with such a law on the books at the time the settlement was made? If yes then she should get to keep the money since his lawyers should have known that the settlement was illegal.
If on the other hand the was no such law at the time then she should have to return the money as she would have broken the agreement.