Camille Cosby Deposed In Defamation Case Against Her Husband

Camille Cosby has stood by her husband, comedic legend Bill Cosby, in the wake of dozens of sexual assault allegations. Today, however, she was finally deposed in the Massachusetts defamation case against him, reports Yahoo News. Camille Cosby has been actively fighting being forced to testify against her husband, even filing a motion to delay being deposed pending an appeal.

Her attempts at fighting the deposition were in vain, however, and Camille Cosby was finally forced to submit to the will of the court and be deposed today. Her February 22 deposition is believed to be the first she’s given since the Bill Cosby sexual assault scandal broke, and it took place in secrecy and under heavy security.

The Camille Cosby deposition reportedly took place at the Springfield Marriott hotel in a conference room, which had been cordoned off by staff. Hotel staff went so far as to pull heavy drapes across the hallway so that even that even the door to the room was blocked from view.

It is unlikely that the public will know what was said during the deposition of Camille Cosby for quite some time, if ever. Depositions are traditionally private, and transcripts considered “discovery materials” and therefore sealed from the public. If Camille Cosby’s deposition is ever to be made public, it will be over the course of a trial or as the result of being attached to support a motion in the pending defamation case against Bill Cosby.

Despite the numerous women that have come forward with sexual assault allegations against famed comedian Bill Cosby, Camille has steadfastly supported her husband in public. In interviews, she’s referred to him as “a kind man, a generous man, a funny man, and a wonderful husband, father and friend.” In December, 2014, she told the world “He is the man you thought you knew.”

She’s even gone so far as to suggest that, contrary to popular belief, it was Bill Cosby being harmed by the sexual assault allegations, not the women bringing the charges against him.

Despite the strong, brash words of Camille Cosby and the attempts of her and her husband to block the deposition, it went on as scheduled, much to the delight of the plaintiff’s lawyer, Joseph Cammarata.

“Game on. We can attempt to vindicate our client’s interests.”

When the deposition began on Monday, security was extremely tight at the deposition location, reports MSNBC. Camille Cosby hadn’t been seen before she was scheduled to be deposed, and there was security stationed at all entrances of the hotel. Lawyers from both sides were seen briefly, however, before they entered the conference room where the deposition of Cosby was reportedly to take place.

According to reports, Camille Cosby could be deposed for hours.

Camille Cosby had long argued that she has no information that would be pertinent to the case against her husband. On top of that, she’s contended that the law protects her conversations with her husband as being confidential under the Massachusetts marital disqualification rule. However, Camille Cosby was also Bill Cosby’s business manager, and as such, lawyers for the plaintiffs in the case argued that she “likely” has information above and beyond that which came from “private marital discussions.”

It’s also important to note that the Massachusetts defamation case against Bill Cosby is civil. However, Bill Cosby is facing a criminal indictment in Pennsylvania. Anything Camille Cosby reveals during her deposition could be used in a criminal prosecution of her husband.

“We’re hoping to learn about issues important to the case involving his relationship with her and his relationship with other women and his relationship with the business.”

Joseph Cammarata has stated that he has plans to question Camille “carefully” and “respectfully.” However, he is open to the possibility of involving the judge if she refuses to cooperate. According to Cammarata, who has sworn his intent to do what needs to be done for his clients, “She doesn’t want to be here. She does even want me to ask her her name.”

If she refuses to answer questions that are considered “fair game,” Camille Cosby could potentially find herself called back for further deposition sessions.

In all, there are seven plaintiffs in the Massachusetts defamation case that’s been filed against Bill Cosby. The women filed their defamation suit against Cosby after he called them “liars” following their public accusations of sexual assault by the comedian. Cosby has filed a counter suit, and has denied all charges against him since the first public allegations of sexual assault were made — despite the fact that he’s now been accused of sexual misconduct by dozens of women.

Of the dozens of allegations of sexual assault that have now been made against Cosby, only one has so far resulted in criminal charges. The criminal charges now pending against Bill Cosby are the result of accusations made by Andrea Constand, and stem from an incident she claims took place in his Pennsylvania home in 2004, where she alleges Bill Cosby drugged and molested her.

Bill Cosby recently lost a motion to have the Pennsylvania criminal case against him thrown out, but he is reportedly appealing that decision.

Now that the plaintiffs in the civil case against Cosby have succeeded in getting Camille Cosby deposed, both the civil and criminal complaints against Bill could be impacted.

[Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images]