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CA Appeal Ct. On Defamation Claims Against Bill Cosby

By Suzette Parmley
September 01, 2019

The California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, ruled in favor of actress and former supermodel Janice Dickinson in her 2015 suit against comedian Bill Cosby over comments his then-attorney Marty Singer made to the press Nov. 20 and Nov. 21, 2014.

Singer's comments were made after Dickinson said in an interview on Entertainment Tonight that she had been drugged and raped by the comedian in the 1980s. Singer responded by issuing press statements that Dickinson's story was a fabrication and a lie.

"We reject Cosby's contention that [Singer's] statements are not actionable because they represent zealous advocacy by his attorney, who had an ethical duty to voice a defense of his client," the court of appeal decided. "Cosby contends that in a 'free and open society, our justice system should and does provide wide latitude for defense attorneys to make such statements.'

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