Convicted sex offender Bill Cosby has asked the Supreme Court to deny a review of a defamation case filed by actress Kathrine McKee, who accused the comedian of rape.
McKee first came forward with her story in December 2014, telling the New York Daily News that Cosby raped her in a Michigan, Detroit, hotel room in the 70s. McKee claimed she first met Cosby in the 60s when she was dating late singer and actor Sammy Davis Jr. at the time.
“I remember I walked in the door, and he had a robe and cap on. He took the ribs from my hands and just grabbed me,” McKee said of the encounter. “He spun me around, pulled my panties down, and just took it. We were still standing at the door when he attacked me. It was so fast and so shocking and so unbelievable.”
McKee went on to sue Cosby, now 81, for defamation in federal court accusing his lawyer of portraying her as a liar.
Now, Cosby’s camp is arguing that McKee used her “longstanding celebrity status” to vilify Cosby in the media and, in doing so, made herself a “limited-purpose public figure.” Cosby’s lawyers said her status should make it harder to sue under defamation laws, as the bar is higher for public figures, according to the newspaper.
Meanwhile, McKee said she only identified herself as one of Cosby’s victims and that she shouldn’t lose the private-figure status she had when she spoke with the Daily News in 2014.
The motion comes as Cosby awaits sentencing on three counts of aggravated indecent assault in Pennsylvania. His sentencing date is scheduled for September 24.
[Featured Image: Bill Cosby/AP/Matt Slocum]
