Bill Cosby's wife Camille fights order to testify in sex assault case

Bill Cosby's wife has filed a last-ditch request to avoid sitting Monday for a legal deposition in which she'll be asked questions related to sexual assault allegations against her husband.

A federal judge ruled Friday that Camille Cosby must testify in a civil suit by seven women who claim Bill Cosby defamed them by denying their accusations. But late Saturday night, her lawyers filed an emergency motion to stop the deposition — or at least move it to a venue that is more private than the Massachusetts hotel where the proceedings are supposed to take place.

Click through images of Bill Cosby being arraigned on sexual assault charges:

Holding the deposition at the Springfield Marriott would create a "media circus and personal security threat that serves no purpose other than to harass and embarrass her," the motion says.

Her lawyer, Marshall Searcy, complained that Camille Cosby "will be subjected to a parade through a sea of reporters" and open to "eavesdropping and gawkers."

Camille Cosby's lawyers have also argued that her deposition should be put off until other people related to the case, including those suing him, testify, so that she may respond.

The attorney who is scheduled to conduct the deposition, Joseph Cammarata, declined any interviews.

As the comedian's wife, Camille Cosby is protected against answering questions about personal conversations with him. But because she also served as his business manager, business related conversations are not necessarily protected.

See more: The Cosby Accusers Speak

Bill Cosby has repeatedly denied allegations of sexual assault by dozens of women around the country, acts they say took place as far back as the 1960s. Hecounter-sued the seven women suing him in Massachusetts, claiming they had defamed his character. He also faces a criminal case in Pennsylvania.

Camille Cosby, who married Bill in 1964, has stood behind him. In her last public comments on the issue, in December 2014, she called him kind and generous and "a wonderful husband, father and friend" and accused the media of failing to vet his accusers.



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