Women in Bill Cosby Lawsuit Respond to Newly Released Testimony

The women are both identified as Jane Doe in the lawsuit brought by another accuser.

Two women who were witnesses in a 2005 lawsuit involving sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby conducted a news conference Monday with attorney Gloria Allred and called for the release of more testimony from the comedian.

The women, both identified as "Jane Doe" in the lawsuit brought by an accuser, responded to Cosby's testimony in newly released excerpts of his deposition. Last week, it was revealed in deposition excerpts obtained by The Associated Press that Cosby admitted under oath in 2005 to obtaining quaaludes he intended to give to women with whom he wanted to have sex.

Allred and her clients, Beth Ferrier and Rebbeca Lynn O'Neil, said they want to see the entire document released to determine whether they are further referenced.

"The betrayal of trust from this famous celebrity was so traumatic, that I thought, 'Who would believe me?'" O'Neil said.

The accuser's lawyer argued in a sanctions motion Wednesday that the entire deposition should be made public, including questions Cosby answered under oath about his use of quaaludes and other drugs, his alleged use of hush money to silence women, his deal to have an accuser's story spiked and his alleged affairs with other women. Her lawyer said Cosby and his representatives broke the confidentiality agreement with public comments made over the years and again last week, but the accuser has been powerless to respond.

The motion came after U.S. District Judge Eduardo Robreno unsealed excerpts from Cosby's deposition in response to an Associated Press request, concluding that the public had a right to see "the stark contrast" between Cosby the public moralist and the statements he made under oath about his lifestyle and conduct. The excerpts show Cosby admitting that he obtained quaaludes in the 1970s so that he could give them to young women he pursued for extramarital sex. Asked if they knew what they were taking, his lawyers objected and he never answered.

Frustrated by their attempts to dodge questions, attorney Dolores M. Troiani went to court then to force Cosby and his lawyers to cooperate in the pretrial deposition. She asked that Robreno force the comedian to answer 50 questions about his lifestyle, drug use and sexual encounters with 13 other "Jane Doe" women who had come forward to say Cosby had molested and perhaps drugged them years earlier.

The deposition eventually proceeded. And Troiani now wants his answers to those questions made public.

Cosby settled the case after his deposition for an unknown sum. Both sides agreed to keep the terms confidential and not comment on what did or didn't happen between them.

Cosby has never been charged with a crime and has repeatedly denied the allegations. Most of the sexual misconduct accusations that more than a dozen women have made against him happened too long ago for criminal charges.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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