*Bill Cosby and his legal team are now going after Andrea Constand, the woman whose 2005 sexual assault accusation led to his recent arrest.
A breach-of-contract lawsuit against Constand, her lawyer Dolores Troiani, her mother and the publisher of the National Enquirer was filed on Feb. 1, reports the Associated Press, one day before a key hearing in the criminal case against Cosby.
The lawsuit remained under seal Wednesday, and Cosby’s lawyers wouldn’t comment on the nature of the breach-of-contract allegation. However, the defendants were all subject to confidentiality clauses that covered the settlement of lawsuits that Constand filed against Cosby and the tabloid in 2005.
Constand accused Cosby of drugging and molesting her at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.
Her complaint wasn’t prosecuted at the time, but new prosecutors reopened it last year and arrested Cosby in December, just before the 12-year statute of limitations expired. As part of their investigation, they interviewed Constand and her mother and obtained files from her lawyer.
Troiani mentioned at the hearing that Cosby had sued her but did not elaborate.
The judge warned Cosby’s lawyers not to accuse Troiani of breaking the confidentiality agreement through her testimony because she had received a subpoena to testify about her involvement in the case.
Cosby sought the hearing to explore whether he had a promise from the prior district attorney that he would never be charged over the encounter with Constand, who was then a basketball team employee at Temple University, his alma mater. The judge rejected his bid to have the criminal case dismissed.
Cosby is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on the felony case on March 8. The 78-year-old entertainer could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
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