A sexual abuse lawsuit against the
comedian Bill Cosby will continue after the California Supreme Court
rejected his petition to review the case.
The civil case brought
by Judy Huth accuses Mr Cosby of sexually assaulting her as a
15-year-old at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles in the 1970s.
The 78-year-old is facing a series of sexual assault accusations dating back decades.
He has always maintained his innocence and has never been criminally charged.
Ms Huth alleges that Mr Cosby plied her with alcohol before sexually assaulting her.
The decision by the court means that Ms Huth's lawyers will be able to question Mr Cosby under oath.
Her
lawyer, Gloria Allred, described it as a "major victory" and says she
intends to take a sworn deposition from the comedian within the next
month.
Earlier in the week, the LA police department confirmed that it was investigating "certain complaints against him"
Court documents relating to the case brought in 2005 Andrea Constand -
an employee at Temple University in the 1970s - were published earlier
this month, after the Associated Press news agency applied to a judge to
have the sealed papers made public.
They revealed Mr Cosby had
admitted obtaining Quaaludes from several doctors to give to women
before sexual encounters, but did not take them himself.
Mr Cosby is now suing Ms Constand for breaching a confidentially agreement after the New York Times obtained a full copy of the deposition.
Dozens
of women have accused the comedian of sexually assaulting them but most
of the claims are barred by statutes of limitations. They restrict the
length of time in which legal actions can be taken after an alleged
crime has been committed.
The accusations, which Mr Cosby has
described as "fantastical" and "uncorroborated", have led to some of his
stand-up shows being called off and the cancellation of some TV
projects.
Timeline of allegations against Bill Cosby
2002:
Lachele Covington, a 20-year-old actress, reportedly files a police
report saying she had been inappropriately touched. No further action
was taken. 2005: Andrea Constand sues Mr Cosby for sexual assault. The case is eventually settled out of court in 2006. 2014:
Over the year, dozens of women make public accusations that Mr Cosby
sexually assaulted them. Live shows are cancelled across the country
amid protests November 2014: TV network NBC
scraps plans for a new show with the comedian following allegations by
TV presenter Janice Dickinson that he had assaulted her in 1982. Repeats
of the Cosby Show are also pulled from cable TV December 2014:
Judy Huth sues Mr Cosby for molesting her in 1974 when she was 15 years
old. Mr Cosby counter-sues, claiming she is trying to extort money from
him May 2015: Mr Cosby speaks publicly about the
allegations for the first time. "I can't speak; I just don't want to
argue; I don't talk about it," he told ABC News.
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