A US judge has ordered Bill Cosby to attend a second deposition and respond to questions in a lawsuit filed by a woman accusing the comedian of sexually abusing in the 1970s when she was underage.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Craig D. Karlan ordered Cosby to attend the half-day deposition and pay the costs of conducting a second round of sworn testimony in the case. Cosby must provide a valid legal objection to any questions he refuses to answer, including invoking his constitutional right to avoid self-incrimination, Karlan said.
The ruling came as Cosby fought bicoastal legal battles on Tuesday. He appeared in a Pennsylvania courtroom where his lawyers sought a dismissal of criminal charges against him while lawyers in Santa Monica, California, argued he shouldn't have to sit for another deposition in the civil case.
Cosby is being sued by Riverside County resident Judy Huth, who claims the comedian forced her to perform a sex act on him at the Playboy Mansion in the early 1970s, when she was 15 years old. Cosby's lawyers have denied her accusations and have accused Huth's former lawyer of attempting to extort the comedian.
It is unclear what questions Cosby refused to answer when he was deposed in October in the case. Karlan has sealed court filings describing the October deposition and conducted part of Tuesday's hearing in chambers.
Huth's lawyer, Gloria Allred, said after the ruling that she felt vindicated in seeking more sworn testimony from Cosby, but she could not elaborate on what answers she was seeking.
Huth was recently deposed in the case, and Cosby's lawyers say they will bring a similar motion to compel more answers from her.
Karlan ordered Cosby's second deposition to occur by the end of February. His lawyer, Randa Osman, said it would be a hardship for the 78-year-old to travel to Los Angeles for the session. He was previously deposed in Boston.
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