Bill Cosby just caught a break from the court system.
The scandal-plagued comedian was granted a delay of his second deposition in a lawsuit brought against him by accuser Judy Huth on Wednesday, Cosby’s attorneys told TheWrap in a statement.
The deposition had been scheduled for April 7. Cosby had sought a delay until a criminal case brought against him in Pennsylvania is resolved.
“Today, in Huth v. Cosby, the Court granted Mr. Cosby’s motion for a stay of his discovery in this case pending the outcome of Commonwealth v. Cosby in Montgomery County, PA. This includes a stay of Mr. Cosby’s continued deposition, previously scheduled to take place April 7th,” Cosby’s attorneys said in the statement.
“In so doing, the court recognized the dilemma faced by a defendant who must choose between defending civil litigation by providing testimony on one hand and losing the case by asserting the constitutional right to remain silent on the other hand, and rightly issued an order eliminating the necessity of such an untenable choice,” Pressley continued.
Huth claims that Cosby brought her to the Playboy Mansion in 1974, instructing her to say that she was 19 if anyone asked. She claims she was actually 15 at the time.
“While at the Playboy Mansion, plaintiff told Cosby that she needed to use the bathroom,” Huth’s lawsuit against Cosby reads. “Cosby directed her to a bathroom within a bedroom suite near the game room. When plaintiff emerged from the bathroom, she found Cosby sitting on the bed. He asked her to sit beside him. He then proceeded to sexually molest her by attempting to put his hand down her pants, and then taking her hand in his hand and performing a sex act on himself without her consent.”
Cosby had previously been deposed in the Huth case in October. But since then, he has been slapped with a felony sexual assault charge in Pennsylvania, stemming from the allegations of former Temple University employee Andrea Constand, who claims that Cosby assaulted her in 2004.
Cosby has been accused of rape or sexual assault by dozens of women, many of whom claim that he drugged them beforehand. The comedian has denied the allegations, and in some cases has filed suit against his accusers.
In her own statement, Huth’s attorney, Gloria Allred said that, despite Wednesday’s setback, the Huth trial could potentially go forward next year.
“Although the court has ordered Mr. Cosby to appear for his second deposition in our lawsuit, the court did stay the taking of his second deposition while his criminal case is pending. However, the court has indicated that we will be permitted to come back to court to revisit this issue of when Mr. Cosby’s second deposition can take place depending on the status of the criminal case,” Allred said. “The court has recognized that the criminal case might take a long time to conclude but the court has also indicated that it would like to move our civil lawsuit along and potentially have the trial in our case in 2017.”
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.