Cosby failed in his attempt to dodge justice in the matter of Judy Huth, whose allegations include the comedian forcing her to perform a sex act on him when she was 15 years old. The judge ordered that the deposition, scheduled for Friday, October 9 at an undisclosed location would happen as planned. However, he ordered that no part of the deposition would be made public until a hearing on December 22nd at which he would decide what, if any, parts could be shared with the public.
A hearing was held in Los Angeles County Superior Court last week giving the go-ahead for Bill Cosby to be deposed on Friday, the 9th in the matter of Judy Huth. The judge threw the fallen comedian’s lawyers a bone though, granting the request that the Cosby deposition stays sealed, unlike his pants.
Ms. Huth alleges that Pudding Pops forced her to do a sexual act on him at the Playboy mansion when she was 15. Both Cosby and his legal team fervently deny the allegations, big surprise. Neither Huth, nor Cosby was present at the hearing, which was held with about 40 people in the courtroom.
Judge Craig D. Karlan told the parties’ lawyers that he would review the deposition in December and decide at that time what, if any, portions could be made public. He said, “Let’s make it very simple. There is to be no mention or discussion of any party’s deposition until we have our hearing on Dec. 22.”
Karlan made this decision in an effort to balance the public’s interest in the case and Quaalude Dude’s right to a fair trial. The location of Friday’s deposition remained a secret, but there’s no doubt that Karlan’s decision to allow it to happen thrusts Cosby into the public eye yet again.
Cosby’s team has been trying to stop Huth’s case from proceeding since she filed in December. Their main argument was that Huth’s former attorney, Marc S. Strecker, acted inappropriately in the manner in which he filed her case. Never mind the fact that the Cosby legal team, and the man himself, has acted inappropriately since the first case was filed in this sordid story by violating the gag order (several times) in the case of Andrea Constand.
Now, they’re whining about wanting the videotaped and court reporter-recorded deposition to remain sealed permanently. They’re afraid the Huth’s current lawyer, Gloria Allred, will use it to seek publicity. Boo-fricken-hoo, I say. Cosby’s attorney’s had no problem doing the very same thing in the Constand case, why should Ms. Allred’s hands be tied?
Cosby’s lawyer, Marc Singer, told the judge that Ms. Allred’s new conferences and other publicity maneuvers have already hurt his client. “He’s been tried in the media, and that’s the issue here.”
Ms. Allred’s response makes me smile. “I do think as an attorney I have a right to inform the public if I think there’s a danger to the public of a predator.” You go, Gloria! I wholeheartedly agree!
It’s up to Ms. Allred and Mr. Singer to negotiate the parts of the deposition that will remain sealed. Anything on which they cannot agree will be up to Judge Karlan to decide at the December 22nd hearing.
Karlan’s final order won’t just restrict what can be shared with the public; it will also determine which parts of Cosby’s deposition will become part of the public record in the even the case goes to trial.
One expert, Jerry Reisman, a partner in Reisman Peirez Reisman & Capobianco, said, “These are very serious accusations, and should he be proven innocent, why should this be public information?”
If, indeed, Pudding Pops has nothing to hide, why shouldn’t his deposition be part of the public record? We know he and his legal team is upset at the opening of another of his depositions due to the fact it contained proof of some of the allegations in that case in the comedian’s own words. It seems to me that his legal team is trying to do damage control on his reputation. Frankly, they’d be better off spending their time either coming up with the mother of all settlement offers or battening down the hatches for a trial.
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