The entertainer’s lawyers have stated that financial drains are decreasing his ability to successfully defend himself.
The lawsuit that was filed by American International Group (AIG) against Bill Cosby has been considerably “draining” on the resources of the celebrity, who is now saying (by way of his lawyers) that this is seriously cutting into his ability to present a successful defense for himself against the allegations of sexual abuse.
The reason is that Cosby is currently being required to defend himself simultaneously against several suits.
Lawyers representing Bill Cosby told a Massachusetts federal court that forcing him to simultaneously defend himself against a lawsuit from American International Group and from several women who have accused him of sexual misconduct would cause the entertainer to face “substantial prejudice”. In June, the insurance company added its own lawsuit filing to the mix of legal filings against Cosby.
AIG’s lawsuit against Bill Cosby has to do with the homeowners insurance coverage it sold to the celebrity.
The homeowners insurance policies were sold to Cosby to cover properties in both California and Massachusetts. While the policies do provide coverage for certain forms of personal injury claims – such as defamation – they do not offer coverage for personal injury claims that result from “sexual, physical or mental abuse.”
At the moment, the entertainer is already facing his defense in a lawsuit that has been filed against him in California by model Janice Dickinson, as well as three others in Massachusetts by Linda Traitz, Tamara Green, and Therese Serignese. AIG says that it is not required to provide Cosby with insurance coverage for these lawsuits because they are the result of denials that the celebrity made in allegations of having sexually abused the defendants.
While the insurance company has agreed to cover the defense costs faced by Bill Cosby on a tentative basis, it is also working to obtain declaratory relief to state that it is not responsible for those expenses. The defense attorneys representing the celebrity are hoping that they will be able to have the case either dismissed or, at the very least, delayed so that he will be able to deal with the legal and financial strains of the accusations, themselves.
