Camille Cosby Gave 2.5 Hours of Testimony Over the Course of 7-Hour Deposition

Lawyers for Camille Cosby tried to prevent her from testifying.

ByABC News
February 22, 2016, 8:28 PM

— -- Camille Cosby gave two-and-a-half hours of testimony over the course of her seven-hour deposition at the Springfield Marriott in Massachusetts on Monday afternoon, according to Joseph Cammarata, a lawyer for seven women suing Bill Cosby.

According to Cammarata, Camille Cosby never pleaded the fifth, but her lawyers evoked the marital disqualification rule more than a dozen times.

Twice, they had to call the judge because of the nature and scope of questions being asked.

Lawyers for Cosby, 71, tried to prevent her appearance by filing an emergency motion late Saturday night.

Bill Cosby was sued for defamation by seven women after they went public with claims that he "drugged and/or sexually assaulted each" of them. The comedian, 78, filed a countersuit on Dec. 14, and his lawyers have repeatedly denied the women's accusations.

Cosby also faces a criminal charge in Pennsylvania in relation to another woman’s claims of sexual assault. Cosby’s attorney in that case, Monique Pressley, previously told ABC News, "Make no mistake, we intend to mount a vigorous defense against this unjustified charge and we expect that Mr. Cosby will be exonerated by a court of law."

After lawyers subpoenaed Camille Cosby in early December, a magistrate rejected arguments to suppress the deposition. A federal judge ruled Friday that Camille Cosby must testify today. The emergency motion was intended to delay the deposition while she appealed the magistrate’s decision. A judge denied that request late Sunday.

U.S. District Judge Mark G. Mastroianni ruled earlier this month that Camille Cosby would not have to answer questions protected by the marital disqualification rule, which states that a person does not have to disclose intimate conversations with his or her spouse unless it's a case involving the marriage or parenting.

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