A judge ruled Monday that attorneys for seven women suing Bill Cosby for defamation will get some access to the case file of Andrea Constand, who has accused the comedian of sexual assault.
The decision comes despite a confidential settlement agreement in that case.
“An agreement between two parties to keep materials confidential cannot block the disclosure of those materials to third parties in discovery,” U.S. District Judge Anita Brody wrote in her ruling.
The judge’s memorandum stems from the case of Tamara Green, who has accused Cosby of sexually assaulting her in 1970, and filed the defamation lawsuit against Cosby in December 2014. Other women later joined the suit.
Brody noted the specific settlement amount in the Constand case would be redacted, as would any attorney-client communications, and that a review of the case file would be needed before disclosure.
A spokesman for Cosby declined to comment on the judge’s ruling.
Constand, a former Temple University employee, initially pursued civil action against Cosby, which was settled in 2006.
A deposition that he gave in 2005 was obtained by CNN last year. It reveals that Cosby admitted he gave sedatives to women he was planning to have sex with and that he tried to hide affairs from his wife.
Cosby was charged December 30 in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, with aggravated indecent assault against Constand. He was released on $1 million bail.
More than 40 women have come forward to publicly accuse Cosby, now 78, of assaulting them over four decades. Cosby has denied he sexually assaulted any women.
