A judge today delayed ruling until next month on a motion by Bill Cosby’s attorneys to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed against the comedian by former supermodel Janice Dickinson.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Debre Katz Weintraub said she needs additional information on whether statements by Cosby’s former lawyer, Martin Singer, are protected by a privilege related to the consideration or pursuit of litigation.
Cosby’s current lawyers maintain that the remarks are protected under the litigation privilege, as well as the First Amendment. A new hearing date was set for March 29.
Dickinson, 60, was present in court today. Her attorney, Lisa Bloom, said after today’s proceedings that she will supply the information the judge desires. She also said that Dickinson will appeal if Cosby wins the motion and the case is dismissed.
Dickinson’s suit, filed last May, alleges Cosby drugged and raped her in 1982 and later defamed her by falsely calling her a liar in two written statements provided to the media in November.
The complaint alleges defamation, false light invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Dickinson, who is among a number of women who have come forward in recent months to accuse Cosby of drugging and sexually assaulting them, is seeking unspecified damages.
The suit alleges that Cosby sexually assaulted Dickinson in 1982 at a Lake Tahoe resort. The statute of limitations for a criminal case has expired, but Dickinson maintains she was defamed when Singer released statements on consecutive days in November 2014 that accused her of making up the story.
“The defamatory statements … had a natural tendency to injure Ms. Dickinson’s reputation in the entertainment industry in which she works and with the public worldwide,” the suit states.
Cosby’s legal team states in court papers that the letters were “pre- litigation” documents written in connection with a judicial proceeding and are therefore protected activity under the Constitution. They also address matters of public interest, according to the Cosby lawyers.
“At the time I issued the Nov. 18 and Nov. 19 (2014) statements, I also had prior personal experience with Ms. Dickinson in the course of my representation of a client against whom Ms. Dickinson made false paternity claims and other false accusations for pecuniary gain several years ago,” Singer states in a sworn declaration.
Cosby later fired Singer and replaced him with lawyer Christopher Tayback.
