PHILADELPHIA—With one crucial legal battle out of the way, at least two more loom in the sexual-assault case against Bill Cosby: whether prosecutors can use his explosive testimony from a decade-old lawsuit, and whether other Cosby accusers can testify.
On Wednesday, a judge moved the case a step closer to trial when he rejected claims that the 78-year-old comedian had a binding promise from a previous district attorney in 2005 that he would never be charged in the matter. The next stage is a preliminary hearing March 8.
The TV star is accused of drugging and violating former Temple University athletic department employee Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004 and could get 10 years in prison if convicted. While some 50 women have accused Cosby of sex crimes, this is the only case in which he is charged.