February 24, 2016

More drama with Cosby depositions

Camille Cosby in 2000. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

Bill Cosby’s lawyers sought to prevent his wife, Camille Cosby, from sitting for a deposition early this week and filed an emergency motion Saturday to delay it.

Who can blame her for not wanting to sit for a deposition? Remember what happened when her husband sat for one? It was published by the New York Times last July. In it, Cosby defended himself for a lawsuit filed by a young woman who accused him of drugging and molesting her.

A lawyer for seven women who say Mr. Cosby defamed them, Joseph Cammarata, said Mrs. Cosby was questioned under oath for two and a half hours in a hotel in Springfield, Mass., and that her deposition will continue March 14.

The civil case is separate from the criminal charges Mr. Cosby faces in Pennsylvania, where a woman has accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2004. (New York Times)

Huseby deposition services

Huseby allows firm to save time and money by doing everything from the desktop. From scheduling depositions online, to setting up online video depositions, and then receiving the transcripts and exhibits directly into an online account, Huseby makes certain every experience meets our customer’s needs.

Huseby also enables attorneys to attend depositions remotely using HusebyConnect.

July 30, 2015

How Bill Cosby deposition ended up being reported by New York Times

The case of Bill Cosby and his alleged treatment of women took a turn when part of a deposition was published by the New York Times this month.

In it, Cosby defended himself for a lawsuit filed by a young woman who accused him of drugging and molesting her.

A federal judge unsealed a 62-page memorandum of law in the case, which had been settled in 2006. The memorandum contained excerpts from the deposition, including Cosby’s acknowledgment that he had obtained quaaludes as part of his effort to have sex with women. The Times later learned that the transcript was already publicly available through a court reporting service. (New York Times)

How did it become available? Writing in the Daily Report, an Atlanta trial lawyer says merely including a confidentiality provision in a settlement agreement may not be enough to prevent public disclosure of deposition testimony given in a lawsuit. At the same time, obtaining a deposition transcript may not be as easy as The New York Times makes it sound, he says. (Daily Report)

Not surprisingly, Cosby’s attorneys want to look into whether the plaintiff’s attorney was involved in the deposition transcript release. He also filed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit saying he will appeal an order unsealing certain documents. (The Legal Intelligencer)

And while discussions about this 2006 deposition go on, a new deposition will happen in the next few months. Attorney Gloria Allred, who represents 17 Cosby accusers, says a judge in Santa Monica, California has ordered a new deposition by Cosby, to be given under oath no later than Sept. 30. (USA TODAY)

Huseby deposition services

Huseby allows firm to save time and money by doing everything from the desktop. From scheduling depositions online, to setting up online video depositions, and then receiving the transcripts and exhibits directly into an online account, Huseby makes certain every experience meets our customer’s needs.

Huseby also enables attorneys to attend depositions remotely using HusebyConnect.

Continue Reading

November 03, 2015

New York Times arbitration series says shift in legal system not understood by lawyers

‘Blockbuster’ stories on not getting your day in court

The New York Times today published part three of a provocative legal series on how corporate America effectively takes advantage of millions of Americans by forcing them to arbitrate disputes rather than file class-action lawsuits. Times Deputy Managing Editor Matt Purdy called it via Twitter, “A blockbuster NYT investigation: Arbitration Everywhere, Stacking the Deck of Justice.” As the Poynter Institute puts it, “Companies essentially goad us into giving up a chance for a day in court and are a reason for a ‘profound shift’ in the legal system not understood by most, even many lawyers.” (The New York Times) Today’s entry in the series specifically focuses on how “through arbitration, religion is being used to sort out secular problems like claims of financial fraud and wrongful death.”

Part 3 of the blockbuster NYT series: In Religious Arbitration, Scripture Is the Rule of Law, via @nytimes https://t.co/jwCOer2EQq
— Matt Purdy (@mattbpurdy) November 3, 2015

The New York Times had its own arbitration experience

Did the Times learn of this issue from experience? The Newspaper Guild of New York and The Times reached an agreement last March regarding circumstances surrounding layoffs for several of the paper's employees. "'The Guild felt confident in prevailing through the arbitration process,' said Unit Chair Grant Glickson in a guild news release. 'But we believe that a settlement was in the best interest of our members, who can now take their considerable talents and move on in their careers without going through a grueling legal battle.'" (The Washington Post)

Continue Reading