--- title: Bill Cosby Fights to Keep Court Records Confidential description: An obscure rule allows the unsealing of court records after two years canonical: https://time.com/3936432/bill-cosby-confidentiality-court-records/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-25T19:36:41.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:02:48.391Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Bill Cosby Fights to Maintain Confidentiality of 'Embarrassing' Court Records og:description: An obscure rule allows the unsealing of court records after two years og:url: https://time.com/3936432/bill-cosby-confidentiality-court-records/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5bba76f95bb7d28b/6988586a428a9ed34cccde89/ap_147647553262-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Bill Cosby during an interview in Washington on Nov. 6, 2014. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Bill Cosby Fights to Maintain Confidentiality of 'Embarrassing' Court Records twitter:description: An obscure rule allows the unsealing of court records after two years twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5bba76f95bb7d28b/6988586a428a9ed34cccde89/ap_147647553262-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Bill Cosby Fights to Maintain Confidentiality of 'Embarrassing' Court Records > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. by [Eriq Gardner / The Hollywood Reporter](https://time.com/author/the-hollywood-reporter/) ## Eriq Gardner / The Hollywood Reporter Jun 25, 2015 7:36 PM UTC  Bill Cosby during an interview in Washington on Nov. 6, 2014. Bill Cosby during an interview in Washington on Nov. 6, 2014.Evan Vucci—AP by [Eriq Gardner / The Hollywood Reporter](https://time.com/author/the-hollywood-reporter/) ## Eriq Gardner / The Hollywood Reporter Jun 25, 2015 7:36 PM UTC On Wednesday, Bill Cosby told a Pennsylvania judge he’s not a public figure, there’s “no legitimate public interest” in an old sex abuse lawsuit, and confidentiality should be maintained on materials described as posing a “real, specific threat of serious embarrassment.” This all dates back to a dispute that ended nine years ago. There, the embattled comedian settled a lawsuit brought by Andrea Constand, who was the first woman to publicly come forward with allegations that he drugged and sexually assaulted her. The settlement happened in the midst of discovery as Cosby confronted charges that there were other women who were victims. After the settlement happened, the Associated Press filed motions to intervene to challenge the sealing of certain motions brought in the case. At the time, the judge agreed with Cosby’s arguments about why various discovery motions — including ones that talked about Cosby’s deposition — shouldn’t be open to the media. Last December, amid a media frenzy as more women came forward to accuse Cosby of sexual abuse, the AP sent a letter to the court demanding a review of the sealing order under a local rule of civil procedure that presumes an unsealing of records after two years unless the judge dictates otherwise. That’s led to a new showdown over materials that according to Cosby’s brief on Wednesday, not only includes more about the sexual misconduct allegations, but also issues relating to Cosby’s health, use of prescription drugs, financial affairs and personal relationships. Cosby’s attorney George Gowen argues there is no public right to access discovery motions and would violate his client’s privacy. “Moreover, unlike a deposition in a typical case, there is a voracious media appetite for Defendant’s deposition, and public release of it would quickly become widespread public knowledge of it,” states [the brief](https://www.scribd.com/doc/269697628/Cosby-Seal). “There is no doubt that public disclosure of the motions and Defendant’s sworn deposition testimony, which delves into the most intimate subjects imaginable, would generate a firestorm of publicity.” Although the rules might be set up towards the presumption of public access to judicial records, the brief further argues that he “is not a public official, nor is the relevant information important to public health or safety… Defendant’s status as a well-known comedian and entertainer does not render him a ‘public’ person within the meaning of the law.” Cosby’s attorney later argues that lifting the seal would undermine the settlement with Constand, interfere with [a defamation lawsuit](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/bill-cosby-accusers-allowed-amend-789325) brought against Cosby in Massachusetts, and takes a shot at reporters by saying “the media has had no apparent difficulty flooding the airwaves and press with reports on this story, even without access to the discovery materials. Nor is there any credible argument that public knowledge of the details of those motions will serve some public purpose.” The AP argues otherwise in [its own brief](https://www.scribd.com/doc/269697625/Cosby-Unseal). ### Bill Cosby’s Public Life in Photos  Bill Cosby performs on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. CBS/Getty Images  A portrait of Bill Cosby taken in 1965. Hulton Archive/Getty Images  Bill Cosby poses with his Emmy for his role in I Spy at the Primetime Emmy Awards in New York City in 1966. AP  A portrait of Bill Cosby taken in 1969. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Bill Cosby performs on The Second Bill Cosby Special in 1969. Fred Sabine—NBC/Getty Images  Bill Cosby attends the "Concert at Town Hall" at Town Hall in New York City in 1971. Ron Galella—WireImage/Getty Images  Bill Cosby as Chet Kincaid on The Bill Cosby Show. NBC/Getty Images  Bill Cosby as Dr. Heathcliff 'Cliff' Huxtable in The Cosby Show. Frank Carroll—NBC/Getty Images  Bill Cosby is interviewed by Jay Leno on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno in 1992. Wendy Perl—NBC/Getty Images  Bill Cosby speaks to an audience on the campus of the University of the District of Columbia in 2006, in Washington D.C. LAWRENCE JACKSON—AP  Host Bill Cosby speaks onstage at the 2011 Jackie Robinson Foundation awards gala atThe Waldorf Astoria in 2011 in New York City. Stephen Lovekin—Getty Images  Bill Cosby attends the 2011 Temple University Commencement at the Liacouras Center in 2011 in Philadelphia, Pa. Gilbert Carrasquillo—Getty Images  Bill Cosby attends the 2014 American Comedy Awards at Hammerstein Ballroom on April 26, 2014 in New York City. Andrew Toth—FilmMagic/Getty Images “The defendant is the only party who objects to unsealing the record,” writes the wire service. “However, now that the circumstances that he relied upon to gain preliminary sealing in this matter are nothing more than historic references, bypassed by recent public events, the files at issue should be unsealed.” The judge is asked to consider the fact that Constand is not objecting, the “Jane Doe” accusers in the original suit have publicly come forward, there’s no longer a jury pool to be tainted, and “the Court has already ruled, in accordance with firmly established precedent, that defendant’s fear of embarrassment and humiliation is insufficient to support a finding a good cause.” The AP adds that Cosby is “unquestionably a public figure” and his conduct “a legitimate matter for public scrutiny.” _This_ [_article_](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/bill-cosby-fights-maintain-confidentiality-805115) _originally appeared on_ [_The Hollywood Reporter_](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com) _More from The Hollywood Reporter:_ * [2015 Summer Movie Guide: Sequels… Comedy… Action!](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/gallery/2015-summer-movie-guide-sequels-796697) * [Summer TV’s 15 Most Anticipated Shows](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/gallery/summer-tvs-15-anticipated-shows-795181) * [Summer’s 23 Most Intriguing Indie Films](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/gallery/summers-23-intriguing-indie-films-795013) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3936432/bill-cosby-confidentiality-court-records/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3936432/bill-cosby-confidentiality-court-records/"},"headline":"Bill Cosby Fights to Maintain Confidentiality of 'Embarrassing' Court Records","datePublished":"2015-06-25T19:36:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:02:48.391Z","description":"An obscure rule allows the unsealing of court records after two years","url":"https://time.com/3936432/bill-cosby-confidentiality-court-records/","keywords":["celebrities","privacy","court","Bill Cosby topic","sexual misconduct"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5bba76f95bb7d28b/6988586a428a9ed34cccde89/ap_147647553262-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eriq Gardner / The Hollywood Reporter"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5bba76f95bb7d28b/6988586a428a9ed34cccde89/ap_147647553262-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Bill Cosby during an interview in Washington on Nov. 6, 2014.","caption":"Bill Cosby during an interview in Washington on Nov. 6, 2014.","creditText":"Evan Vucci—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/celebrities/","name":"celebrities"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3936432/bill-cosby-confidentiality-court-records/","name":"Bill Cosby Fights to Maintain Confidentiality of 'Embarrassing' Court Records"}}]}] ```