Breaking News: The Empire Strikes Back! Bill Cosby Sues Seven of His Accusers for Defamation

 

 

Re-posted, with running commentary, by Nicholas Stix

I hold no brief for Bill Cosby. I have never promoted his criticism of bad black behavior because, unlike cowardly Republican writers like Jonah Goldberg, I have never needed to hide behind any black when criticizing blacks. I also have my own beefs with Bill Cosby, but haven’t had the time to check them out.

I have no doubt that the MSM would have been much more skeptical about the charges against Cosby, had he not criticized so much trashy black behavior, back in 2004.

Apparently, the way this worked was that over the past two or so years, numerous women, most of them white, publicly charged Cosby with having raped them. The statute of limitations (for criminal and civil court) having long since passed, they waited until he denied their charges, and then sued him for defamation. And so, he is now suing back.

Last I checked, Google News refused to list this story on its front page.
 

Bill Cosby countersues 7 accusers
By Andrea Mandell
December 14, 2015, 4:23 p.m. EST
USA TODAY

Bill Cosby is claiming defamation in a lawsuit filed Monday against seven of his accusers.

"Mr. Cosby states plainly that he neither drugged nor sexually assaulted the defendants and that each defendant has maliciously and knowingly published multiple false statements and accusations from Fall 2014 through the current day in an effort to cause damage to Mr. Cosby's reputation and to extract financial gains," Cosby's attorney, Monique Pressley, tells USA TODAY in a statement.

The suit, filed in federal court, is aimed at Massachusetts accusers Tamara Green, Therese Serignese, Linda Traitz, Louisa Moritz, Barbara Bowman, Joan Tarshis and Angela Leslie. Pressley's statement adds that the "false...opportunistic" allegations have caused Cosby to suffer loss of jobs and "mortification."

The seven women have joined together in a defamation suit against Cosby in federal court in Massachusetts (where he lives), originally filed last year by three accusers. It's the largest of the half dozen civil lawsuits filed against Cosby in recent months.

All are known accusers who have come forward publicly in various forums to accuse Cosby of drugging and sexually assaulting them in episodes dating back to the mid-1960s.

Cosby's defamation suit against the seven women comes after a federal judge in Massachusetts refused to throw out their suit against him in October.

"This was expected," says attorney Joseph Cammarata, who represents the seven women named in the Massachusetts suit. "It’s a page out of a defense lawyer’s playbook. It’s curious to me how there can be scores of other ladies who have come out, and yet Mr. Cosby has singled out seven of them to bring a claim against. It’s seems a bit retaliatory to me.”

[Hyperbole alert: Joseph Cammarata just contradicted himself. If Cosby’s move was “expected” and “a page out of a defense lawyer’s playbook,” how can he act like it’s unexpected? Of course, it’s “retaliatory,” and there’s nothing wrong with that. If people make horrific charges against you and sue you, you’d be a fool not to retaliate with your own lawsuit. More lawyer’s b.s.: It’s impossible to “single[d] out seven.” You can only “single out” one person.

When Cammarata said “retaliatory,” was speaking in feminist sexual code to female readers and viewers. In many institutional contexts (e.g., universities), sexist females have carte blanche to ruin men’s lives by harassing them with fake “sexual harassment” claims. The sexist females are supported by, among other privileges, bans against their victims doing anything to defend themselves or exact revenge, under rules against “retaliation.” Thus, even if the female perps’ charges are thrown out, nothing happens to them.

And if Cosby had not counter-sued, Cammarata would have said that his silence implied guilt, and many people would have agreed.]

Attorney Gloria Allred, who is one of six lawyers handling civil lawsuits against Cosby (and represents roughly half of his accusers) spoke out about the news.

"Bill Cosby appears to be going to war against women who have sued him in Massachusetts and who allege that he has victimized them," she tells USA TODAY. "Although I do not represent the women in that case, I do believe that in general such a tactic will not deter courageous women from fighting the battle against him."

Allred's daughter, attorney Lisa Bloom, also joined the conversation.
She represents Janice Dickinson, who is also pursuing a civil suit against Cosby for defamation. Dickinson has alleged that Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in 1982, which Cosby has denied.

"Having been unsuccessful in his attempt to get the Massachusetts accusers' claims thrown out, Bill Cosby's next aggressive legal move is to countersue them. At least this ensures that the accusers will get the day in court they have been seeking," says Bloom, noting Dickinson is awaiting a decision by the court of appeals on whether Cosby will be deposed in her case.

The deposition had been set for November until a judge temporarily stayed the order.

Cosby's countersuit arrives the same day Boston University decided to revoke the honorary degree conferred on Cosby in 2014, joining scores of colleges and universities who have revoked similar degrees in the last year . [sic]

[Why would BU revoke Cosby’s honorary degree, but never revoke the Doctor of Divinity degree that Martin Luther King Jr. fraudulently obtained via massive plagiarism of the doctoral dissertation of BU grad Jack Stewart Boozer, as well as Paul Tillich and other famous theologians? The answer: Feminism. Feminists never supported action against the fraud King, so BU stood by his phony D.D.]

"The Board’s decision was based on a determination, supported by Mr. Cosby’s sworn deposition testimony, that his treatment of women has brought significant and lasting discredit upon himself and is inconsistent with the University’s mission and values," said Boston University president Robert A. Brown in a statement.

[Cosby certainly never confessed to raping anyone in his depositions. How was the conduct he admitted to any worse than what King did, in his daily philandering? A better case can be made for revoking King’s D.D., than for revoking Cosby’s.]

The total number of women who have publicly claimed Cosby drugged and/or sexually assaulted them in decades past sits at nearly 50. Cosby has denied wrongdoing, and most of the accusations are too old to pursue in criminal court.

Cosby was deposed inOctober [sic] in the California civil case brought by Judy Huth, who claims Cosby forced her to perform a sex act on him in the 1970s. That deposition has not been made public and won't be until at least Dec. 22.

According to his attorney, Cosby is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.

Three women have accused Cosby and his representatives of ruining the women's reputations through statements to the media.