April 28, 2025 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

Bill Cosby Lawyers Resist Janice Dickinson’s Deposition Request

Bill Cosby.
Bill Cosby.

Bill Cosby’s legal team is opposing a motion by ex- supermodel Janice Dickinson’s lawyers, who say they need to depose the comedian and his former lead attorney to properly oppose a defense motion to dismiss her defamation case on First Amendment grounds.

Dickinson’s suit, filed May 20, 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 last November.

The complaint alleges defamation, false light invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Dickinson is seeking unspecified damages.

Dickinson, 60, is among more than four dozen women who have come forward to accuse the 78-year-old Cosby of drugging and sexually assaulting them.

In documents filed in September in Los Angeles Superior Court, Dickinson’s attorney, Kaprisha Vallecillo, says the automatic stay of discovery imposed after Cosby’s lawyers filed their dismissal motion should be lifted so that the comedian and his former lawyer, Martin Singer, can be deposed.

But in documents filed Monday, lawyers for Cosby say the request by Dickinson’s attorneys to lift the hold on discovery is premature.

“Granting plaintiff’s request to take those depositions now, before plaintiff has even attempted to demonstrate that the alleged statements were factual, actually false and made by (Cosby), would result in … expensive and burdensome discovery proceedings,” Cosby’s lawyers state in their court papers.

Cosby’s lawyers also maintain that the information Dickinson’s lawyers want from Cosby and Singer could infringe on the attorney-client privilege.

“Mr. Singer has already submitted a sworn declaration detailing his process when he made the statements,” Cosby’s lawyers say in their court papers.

But Vallecillo maintains that the depositions are necessary.

“I am informed and believe that when forced to answer questions under oath about his predatory behavior, Mr. Cosby has admitted to drugging women for the purpose of having sex with them,” Vallecillo states in a sworn declaration. “Yet, he has often branded his victims as liars through his attorneys.”

Vallecillo alleged that Cosby has “engaged in suppressing the truth of what he did to over three dozen victims over 43 years. Defendant and his attorneys have trashed and maligned the reputations of defendant’s victims.”

Before any of Cosby’s other accusers made their allegations public, Dickinson confided about what Cosby allegedly did to her to friends and business acquaintances, according to Vallecillo’s court papers.

Those confidantes included Dickinson’s friend, Edward Tricomi; Pablo Fenjves, the ghostwriter of her autobiography, “No Lifeguard on Duty;” and Judith Regan, who in 2002 was the president and publisher of ReganBooks, a division of HarperCollins, according to Vallecillo.

Dickinson disclosed her rape accusation to Fenjves in 2001, but he did not allow the model to mention it in her book because he feared Cosby would sue HarperCollins, Vallecillo states in her court papers. Fenjves acknowledged his concerns in his declaration filed with the plaintiff’s new court papers.

“Unfortunately, I had to tell (Dickinson) that we would not be able to include much of her story in her book, if any, because Cosby was a powerful man and he would undoubtedly sue to protect his reputation,” Fenjves states. “Janice was upset with this decision because she had hoped to include the entire story.”

Dickinson’s suit alleges that Cosby sexually assaulted her in 1982 at a Lake Tahoe resort. The statute of limitations for a criminal case has expired, but Dickinson maintains she was defamed when Cosby’s representatives accused her of making up the story in the November statements responding to her accusations.

But in their court papers arguing for dismissal of the lawsuit, Cosby’s attorneys maintain that the statements which Dickinson alleges were defamatory 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’ court papers.

“The accusations and response are part of a larger public conversation about how to deal with allegations of decades-old sexual misconduct in a manner that is fair to both the alleged victim and the accused,” the Cosby attorneys state in their court papers.

Related Posts

Performing Arts Workshops Summer Camp Open for Registration

April 28, 2025

April 28, 2025

Performing Arts Workshops (PAW) has something for everyone this summer. They offer four two-week musical theater camps and eight one-week...

Spring Brewery Artwalk & Open Art Studios

April 28, 2025

April 28, 2025

Where Art Lives. If you’re looking for something fun and different to do, the Brewery Artwalk is holding its Spring...

Culver City Releases New 2025 Wildfire Hazard Maps for Local Neighborhoods

April 27, 2025

April 27, 2025

City Urges Public to Review Proposed Zone Maps and Submit Feedback Culver City residents can now review updated fire hazard...

Gene Simmons Lists Modern Beverly Hills Home for $14 Million Amid Downsizing

April 27, 2025

April 27, 2025

Kiss Rocker is Trimming His Real Estate Portfolio, Parting Ways With a Luxury Home Rock legend Gene Simmons is looking...

March Sees Another Dip in Home Sales as Inventory Grows Nationwide

April 27, 2025

April 27, 2025

Existing-Home Sales Fall, Inventory Builds as Buyers Face Higher Prices Existing-home sales across the United States declined in March, according...

LA City Attorney Drops Charges in Majority of UCLA, USC Protest Arrests

April 27, 2025

April 27, 2025

Charges Filed Against Edan On, After LA District Attorney Dropped Charges Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto announced on...

Mayor Issues Emergency Order to Waive Permit Fees for Palisades Residents

April 27, 2025

April 27, 2025

City Departments Ordered to Suspend Collection of Fees for Rebuilding Mayor Karen Bass on Friday issued an Emergency Executive Order...

West Hollywood Braces for Controversial Rally, Reaffirms Commitment to Equality

April 25, 2025

April 25, 2025

City of West Hollywood Condemns Harmful Rhetoric Ahead of Planned Assembly City officials and public safety leaders in West Hollywood are preparing...

(Video) The Willows: 30 Years Going Strong

April 25, 2025

April 25, 2025

Founded in 1994, The Willows Community School, located in Culver City, California, is a Developmental Kindergarten through 8th grade non-profit, co-educational...

ASTEME Camps Explore Science, Technology, Math and Engineering

April 25, 2025

April 25, 2025

Many teachers and parents hear this question daily when it comes to schooling: “When am I ever going to use...

Skirball Center’s Puppet Festival Promises an Afternoon of Imagination and Play

April 24, 2025

April 24, 2025

SoCal’s Top Puppeteers Will Perform Alongside Live Music, DIY Puppet-Making The Skirball Cultural Center is set to transform into a...

Q&A: No Age Limit on Home Care Management & Home Safety, Tips from a Care Manager

April 24, 2025

April 24, 2025

In-home safety issues that go unnoticed — cracked sidewalks, broken railings or uneven flooring for example — are often the root...

Culver City Police Hosts DEA Drug Take Back Day on April 26

April 24, 2025

April 24, 2025

Dispose of Expired Prescriptions Safely and Anonymously The Culver City Police Department will participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back...

Former Cedars-Sinai OB-GYN Accused of Sexually Abusing Patients for Four Decades

April 24, 2025

April 24, 2025

Ten Women Say Their Reports Were Ignored as Brock Continued to Practice for Decades. A group of 10 women has...

LAX/Metro Station is One Step Closer to Transforming the Airport Commute

April 24, 2025

April 24, 2025

New Multi-Modal Metro Station Connects Angelenos to the Airport Metro Board Chair and Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn announced...