Last month embattled comedian Bill Cosby filed a motion asking the judge to bar his wife Camille Cosby from sitting for a deposition in a defamation of character lawsuit filed against him citing the Massachusetts spousal disqualification rule [click here if you missed that].
The motion has been denied...
U.S. Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy ruled,
"I find no merit in Mrs. Cosby's arguments, and accordingly deny her motion in its entirety."
"She argues that her subpoena threatens 'the strong public interest in encouraging the protection of marital communications' and mentions in passing 'the shame and embarrassment of responding to questions about defendant's alleged infidelities and sexual misconduct."
"While these are not unimportant considerations, they do not outweigh the potential significance of Mrs. Cosby's testimony. … Mrs. Cosby's dual role as defendants' wife and business manager, render it at least plausible that Mrs. Cosby is in possession of information that is 'relevant to any party's claim or defense and proportional to the needs of the case."Mrs. Cosby plans to appeal the ruling.
