Comedian sues cccuser Andrea Constand for breach of confidentiality

After months of public scandal and dozens of damning accusations, Bill Cosby is finally facing criminal charges following a Philadelphia DA’s investigation into testimony that Cosby delivered during a 2005 civil suit.

Bill Cosby has filed a sealed breach of contract lawsuit against his accuser Andrea Constand, her lawyer, her mother and the National Enquirer’s publisher.

Bill Cosby has suffered another setback in his criminal case after a judge shot down the embattled comedian’s attempt to appeal against a ruling regarding his indecent assault charges. The interviews she and her mother gave to investigators past year were therefore “voluntary” and violated the settlement terms, the suit said.

Cosby’s team asked for Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele’s office to be removed from the case if the charge is not dropped, and now Judge Steven T O’Neill shot down that argument.

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The seal on Cosby’s suit was partially lifted Tuesday.

Prosecutors late past year charged Cosby, 78, with sexually assaulting Constand, a former basketball coach at his alma mater Temple University, just days before the statue of limitations to bring charges ran out.

“On information and belief, the deposition transcript was improperly released because Troiani and Kivitz either instructed the Court Reporter to release it, or knowingly failed to use her best efforts to ensure that her vendors comply with the confidentiality provisions of the 2006 Confidential Settlement Agreement”, states the complaint.

Cosby has accused Troiani of repeatedly breaching the confidentiality agreement, and of giving up files “despite being under no legal obligations to furnish her files voluntarily to the District Attorney”, and “despite being expressly prohibited from doing so”. Cosby’s next scheduled appearance in Montgomery County Court is tentatively scheduled for March 8th. Cosby is now seeking the return of the money he paid Constand in that settlement.

Troiani declined to comment on Cosby’s lawsuit. Cosby’s admission of giving women drugs for the purposes of sex prompted a press firestorm and helped instigate a reopening of the case.

There have been more than 50 women who came forward with their stories regarding their encounter with Cosby, which dated from 1965 to 2008.

Cosby’s suit also named Constand’s mother and American Media Inc, which owns the National Enquirer magazine, as defendants, court records show.