‘Bill Cosby’s wife must testify’

WASHINGTON: In the same week that comedian Bill Cosby was arrested on sexual assault charges, his wife, Camille Cosby, learned she must testify in a civil case against the entertainer filed by seven women who said he defamed them, court documents said.

A federal magistrate judge in Massachusetts on Thursday rejected arguments by Cosby’s wife of almost 52 years, who also has been his business manager, that the deposition would represent an "undue burden".

The deposition is scheduled for next Wednesday, a week after Bill Cosby, 78, was charged in Pennsylvania in the only criminal case brought against the actor, who has been accused by more than 50 women of sexually abusing them in incidents dating back decades.

Cosby is free on $1 million bail, and his lawyer has said the entertainer is not guilty and will not consider a plea bargain.