Camille Cosby will be required to give a deposition in a defamation suit brought by seven women against her husband, Bill Cosby, a Massachusetts judge decided Thursday.
The lawsuit accuses the comedian of portraying the women as liars in the press after they publicly shared allegations that Cosby engaged in sexual misconduct. The suit, which was first filed in December 2014 by Linda Traitz, Tamara Green and Therese Serignese, gained four more plaintiffs -- Louisa Moritz, Barbara Bowman, Joan Tarshis and Angela Leslie -- in November. Bill Cosby has countersued, arguing the women's allegations hurt his career.
The judge, U.S. Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy, denied Camille Cosby's motion to quell a subpoena for her deposition due in part to her role as her husband's business manager, The Boston Globe reported. It is "at least plausible that Mrs. Cosby is in possession of information" relevant to the case, the 12-page ruling read. Camille Cosby had argued that conversations between herself and her husband were private.
In the past year, more than 50 women have come forward to accuse Bill Cosby of incidents of sexual assault or misconduct. He has steadfastly denied all of them.
The judge's ruling came just one day after Cosby turned himself in to authorities on an aggravated indecent assault charge based on the accusations of Andrea Constand -- the first criminal charges against the 78-year-old comedian despite years of hushed accusations. Constand described taking an "herbal pill" at the comedian's home that made her feel "paralyzed" before Cosby guided her to his couch, where he forcibly placed her hand on his penis and sexually assaulted her in 2004. She had been invited to visit under the pretense of discussing her career.
If convicted on the assault charge, Cosby could be sentenced to five to 10 years in prison.
On New Year's Eve, the embattled comedian took to Twitter to thank his supporters in his first public comment since being charged with sexual assault.
Camille is scheduled to testify Jan. 6, while Bill Cosby's next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 14.
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