Bill Cosby Switches Lawyers Representing Him in Defamation Cases

By Teresa Lo

July 13, 2016

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In this photo taken Nov. 6, 2014, entertainer Bill Cosby pauses during an interview about the upcoming exhibit, Conversations: African and African-American Artworks in Dialogue, at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art in Washington. The Smithsonian Institution is mounting a major showcase of African-American art and African art together in a new exhibit featuring the extensive art collection of Bill and Camille Cosby. More than 60 rarely seen African-American artworks from the Cosby collection will join 100 pieces of African art at the National Museum of African Art. The exhibit ?Conversations: African and African American Artworks in Dialogue,? opens Sunday and will be on view through early 2016. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) — Photo courtesy of the Huffington Post.

Summary: Bill Cosby has replaced his previous civil litigation team.

Comic Bill Cosby is still wrestling with litigation stemming from his alleged sordid history of sexual abuse. However, now he’s changing his legal game plan by switching lawyers in the civil cases against him. According to CBS News, “Liner LLP , known for its work in entertainment law, is replacing lawyers with the powerhouse litigation firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, Cosby spokesman Andrew Wyatt confirmed Monday. Both firms are based in Los Angeles.”

Related: Bill Cosby’s Legal Bills Already in the Millions

Angela Agrusa, litigation department chairwoman of Liner LLP, will now represent Cosby in his defamation cases. Multiple women have sued the formerly beloved TV star after he publicly said they were lying about him raping them. They filed defamation lawsuits in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and California; and he responded by countersuing.

Agrusa said that she wanted Cosby, 78, to receive a fair trial and not one through the media.

Related: Chloe Goins Files Lawsuit Against Bill Cosby and Hugh Hefner

“Trying Mr. Cosby in a court of public opinion – as imbalanced media coverage promotes – runs directly counter to our judicial system’s most fundamental guarantees of fairness under the law,” Agrusa said.

In addition to civil cases, Cosby has a criminal sexual assault case heading to trial in Philadelphia. Cosby faces three counts of felony indecent assault that stemmed from an alleged 2004 rape of Temple University employee Andrea Constand. She was the first woman to ever publicly accuse him, and her accusation slowly opened the door to more accusations from other women.

Constand was an employee at Temple University in 2004 when she met Cosby. She alleged that he drugged and raped her, and in 2005, she reported the incident. The district attorney at the time did not follow through with the case because she felt it was unwinnable. However, as numerous other alleged victims came forward, the current District Attorney decided to move forward, filing charges and just barely missing the deadline for the statute of limitations.

Related: Who is Bill Cosby’s Defense Lawyer?

Cosby has reportedly spent millions trying to stay out of prison and protect his reputation and fortune. According to JD Journal, Cosby’s insurance, AIG, has already paid $2 million for his legal bills and is fighting the excess liability coverage of $35 million to be used. They argue that their policies exclude sexual assault charges.

Do you think Cosby’s new legal team can win the civil cases he is facing? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: CBS

UPDATED July 13 5:30 to reflect Cosby switched to Liner LLP and to correct Angela Agrusa’s law firm. It was previously reported that Cosby switched from Liner to Quinn Emmanuel.