Bill Cosby Sexual Assault Update: Pretrial Begins With Shouting Match, Inappropriate Jokes

Attorneys on both sides of Bill Cosby’s ongoing sexual assault trial were admonished by Montgomery County Judge Steven O’Neil for an "uncivil" shouting match that erupted during Tuesday’s pretrial. Cosby, the embattled entertainer accused of drugging and sexually assaulting numerous women, was reportedly in a joking mood, saying "Don’t tase me, bro," to security while walking past reporters outside of the Philadelphia courthouse.

It was a spectacle long in the making. Cosby’s defense team has been fighting the court to publicly identify each of the 13 women involved in the upcoming sexual assault trial, a move District Attorney Kevin Steele said could scare victims back into hiding instead of testifying against the actor.

Cosby’s lawyer Brian McMonagle immediately sparred with Steele over his opposition to releasing information about Cosby’s accusers, saying "these are witnesses in a trial. They are not children." The judge eventually allowed for 11 of the women’s identities to be released to the public. Two accusers who haven’t gone public with their testimonies against Cosby would have their identities sealed, the judge ruled.

The decision, along with its accompanying shouting match, followed a major blow to Cosby’s team of lawyers when the judge denied a request to hear from one of their key experts, a psychologist who points to flawed witness testimonies based on memory. His attorneys have argued several of the women’s accounts of what happened shouldn’t be taken into consideration, describing them as "decades-old" and "vague."

Another hurdle for Cosby’s defense is the actor’s deposition he gave under oath, describing seducing women with Quaaludes, several sexual affairs and relationships he had with younger women and a specific account of a sexual encounter he had with Temple University employee over a decade ago. Constand filed a formal complaint against Cosby at the time, though the case was only reopened last year after dozens of women publicly accused the actor of sexual assault and drugging them, similar to her experience.

Meanwhile, celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred, who is representing several of Cosby’s accusers, called on her clients to testify about their encounters with Cosby despite having their identities revealed. The attorney said Cosby’s defense attempts to diminish their experiences with the 79-year-old are "out of context or just plain wrong."

Cosby's trial is set to begin Jun 5, 2017. Cosby has pleaded not guilty to three counts of felony aggravated indecent assault.