A Pennsylvania appeals court has cleared the way for the criminal case against Bill Cosby to proceed, rejecting the comedian's attempt to have the charges thrown out due to a deal he contends was reached with prosecutors a decade ago.
The state Superior Court had put the case on hold while it considered whether to take up Cosby's unusual pre-trial appeal.
The 78-year-old actor and comic is charged with drugging and assaulting Andrea Constand, a former basketball coach at his alma mater Temple University, at his home in 2004.
Constand, now 44, is one of more than 50 women who have come forward to accuse Cosby of sexually assaulting them in a series of attacks dating to the 1960s.
The allegations have toppled Cosby, who built a long career on family-friendly comedy, from his position as one of the United States' best-loved entertainers.
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Constand's case is the only one that has led to criminal charges, in part because of statutes of limitations.
Cosby faces a number of civil lawsuits from many of his alleged victims.
Monday's ruling clears the way for a preliminary hearing, where prosecutors are expected to outline some of the evidence against Cosby.
Representatives for Cosby and the Montgomery County district attorney's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Lawyers for Cosby, who has denied any wrongdoing, had argued that former Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor had promised not to prosecute Cosby in the Constand case in exchange for Cosby's agreement to give a deposition in her civil lawsuit.
But current prosecutors countered that no written deal existed to back up that contention and said Castor was not legally authorised to bind his successors from pursuing criminal charges.
In February, Pennsylvania Common Pleas Court Judge Steven O'Neill rejected Cosby's bid following a two-day hearing at which Castor testified that he agreed not to prosecute Cosby if he sat for the deposition.
Cosby has portrayed the encounter with Constand as consensual and said he gave her an anti-allergy medication.
