NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania judge has denied Bill Cosby’s effort to compel the accuser in his criminal sex assault case to testify before trial.
The judge made the ruling Thursday, saying Cosby shouldn’t get a new preliminary hearing.
Cosby’s legal team wanted the chance to cross-examine Andrea Constand before the 78-year-old actor is held for trial.
Prosecutors have instead used her police statement at a May preliminary hearing that upheld the charges.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is reviewing whether that type of second-hand testimony can be used as evidence before trial. Cosby’s lawyers may point to that pending case to try to delay the trial.
Cosby is accused of drugging and molesting Andrea Constand at his home near Philadelphia in 2004. Prosecutors reopened the case last year amid new evidence.
