Cosby’s wife finishes deposition in defamation lawsuit

BOSTON – Bill Cosby’s wife on Tuesday completed her deposition in a defamation lawsuit filed by seven women who contend the comedian branded them as liars after they went public with sexual assault allegations against him.

Camille Cosby answered questions under oath for about 5 1/2 hours, according to Joe Cammarata, a lawyer for the women. Cammarata wouldn’t discuss specifics of questions he asked during the civil deposition in Boston.

“We accomplished what we needed to accomplish,” he said.

Camille Cosby’s attorneys said in a statement that she has “no relevant non-privileged information” and that they were “thankful for this distraction to now be over.”

Cosby’s wife of 52 years had sought to terminate or limit her deposition. Her lawyers said the women’s lawyer asked “outrageous questions” about personal topics during the first day of the deposition in February.

They said Cammarata questioned Camille Cosby about her sexual relations and her opinion of the honesty and integrity of her husband, questions they argued were “designed to annoy, embarrass and oppress the witness.”

A magistrate judge ruled April 12 that Camille Cosby must continue her deposition but prohibited “improper questions,” including those involving protected communications between husband and wife.

The plaintiffs are among about 50 women who have come forward to say Bill Cosby forced unwanted sexual contact on them decades ago. Cosby, who played Dr. Cliff Huxtable on “The Cosby Show” from 1984 to 1992, has denied the allegations.