Cosby accuser Constand seen in Norristown for first time since charges filed

Andrea Constand, the key prosecution witness in Bill Cosby's pending sexual-assault trial, came to Norristown on Monday for a deposition in her defamation lawsuit against the former district attorney who declined to press charges based on her allegations in 2005.

Constand's deposition comes as she prepares to take the witness stand later this year in the criminal trial against the entertainer.

She has remained quiet about her allegations for more than a decade. That silence continued Monday as she arrived at a Norristown law office with her lawyer.

"You guys know I can't comment, right?" a smiling Constand said to a reporter and photographer as she got out of her lawyer's car.

While not directly related to the criminal case against Cosby, Constand's deposition is sure to focus on her allegations against the 79-year-old entertainer.

A former Temple University employee who now lives in Canada, she is suing former Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr. for defamation, alleging that he publicly undermined her credibility by misstating facts about the case to benefit his own political ambitions.

Castor has called the litigation an attempt to influence the 2015 race for district attorney, which he lost. District Attorney Kevin R. Steele, who won that election and is leading the Cosby prosecution, ran TV ads during the campaign that criticized Castor's handling of the case.

Constand, 43, first alleged in 2005 that Cosby had drugged and molested her the previous year in his Cheltenham mansion. Castor, who was district attorney at the time, ultimately declined to pursue the case, citing "insufficient evidence."

Castor has repeatedly defended that choice, saying he was concerned that her testimony wouldn't stand up to scrutiny before a jury in a criminal case. He also alleged that Constand's story changed between the time she first reported her alleged assault to police in 2005 and when she filed a civil lawsuit against Cosby a year later.

The criminal investigation was revived in 2015, after a deposition that Cosby gave in Constand's lawsuit against him was made public and dozens of other women accused Cosby of sexual misconduct.

Castor has remained an important figure in the criminal case. He was the defense's key witness last year for a hearing at which Cosby's lawyers argued the case should be dropped. Castor testified that he had made a binding promise never to prosecute Cosby. A judge rejected that argument.

The tentative date for Cosby's trial is June 5; Constand is expected to take the witness stand.

Cosby has maintained his innocence in the case, insisting that his sexual contact with Constand was consensual.

Constand arrived at the law office Monday afternoon with her lawyer, Dolores Troiani. She sifted through what appeared to be legal paperwork in the front seat as they parked at the Swede Street office of Kane, Pugh, Knoell, Troy & Kramer, the firm representing Castor.

Troiani also declined to comment.

Castor is expected to sit for his deposition in that case Tuesday. Neither he nor his lawyer could be reached for comment Monday.

During a brief hearing Monday in federal court in Philadelphia, each side accused the other of foot-dragging in handing over key documents.

Constand is still seeking records of communication Castor had with Cosby's lawyers and various news organizations that quoted his opinions on Constand.

Castor's lawyers maintain that Constand still hasn't provided a full accounting of medical bills from treatment she says she incurred as a result of the anxiety and stress Castor's comments caused her.

U.S. District Judge Eduardo Robreno has scheduled a trial on the defamation case for as early as August.