Bald Truth Exclusive: Cosby Publisher Wins Delay! Read The Letter Here!
By Bald Truth Staff (c)www.artharris.com, all rights reserved
In a Bald Truth exclusive, we’ve learned the powerhouse New York law firm defending Rita Cosby’s publisher in a $60 million libel suit today won a brief extension to respond to Howard K. Stern’s request for an order banning Cosby, or anyone else, from trying to influence any witness or tamper with any evidence.
It must have been the eloquent, Oct. 22nd letter from attorney Doug Maynard, a former federal prosecutor now with Akin Gump– and obtained by The Bald Truth cosby-publisher-10-23-ltr-to-judge.pdf — that persuaded U.S. District Judge Denny Chin to grant the defendants’ lawyers until November 13 to respond to Stern’s complaint. In it, Maynard complains Stern lawyer Lin Wood has been kind of like Waldo, MIA and impossible to reach.
Hey, we totally understand, since Wood hasn’t had time to call us back either. We hope it’s nothing personal.
But we DO know he was in court last Thursday when the judge indicated he was troubled by transcripts of Cosby allegedly trying to pay two Haitian nannies for an affidavit.
In fact, Wood was so disturbed by the audiotapes of Cosby, secretly recorded by a lawyer for the women, he attached the transcripts as an exhibit to back up Stern’s request that the former FOX host and MSNBCer be ordered to stop trying to talk to witnesses like the nannies she concedes she never interviewed in the first place– to back up her reporting about an alleged gay sex tryst between Stern and Larry Birkhead.
That’s perhaps the most salacious anecdote she lays out in her book, “Blonde Ambition,” the target of the libel suit filed by Stern against Cosby and her French publisher, Hachette.
So far, the publisher says it will vigorously defend the suit and stands by her reporting on the gay sex charges (and everything else) — vigorously denied by Stern and Birkhead.
Last week, both defendants agreed to an order prohibiting any party from attempting to influence any witness and requiring everyone involved to preserve all evidence. But lawyers for Cosby and the publisher also argued that there was no need for expedited discovery because they had agreed to the order.
Judge Chin gave them until Wednesday, Oct. 17, to submit briefs on the issue. But the night before, Maynard writes Wood agreed to give him more time to respond, especially since Wood planned to file an amended complaint, then changed his mind.
Still, delay or not, the judge did agree to fast-track discovery, and gave both sides April 18 as a deadine–and the date for a pre-trial hearing.
According to those in court, the judge said he found the Cosby transcripts very “disturbing,” and that, if accurate, they suggest the newswoman tried to interfere with witnesses.
Cosby’s attorney, Elizabeth McNamara, responded that she had no reason to believe the tape was manufactured, but said when all the tapes were reviewed, it would be clear that Cosby would be cleared of any appearance of wrongdoing.
Cosby claims her Nannygaysex source is an investigator who heard Anna’s employees relate the tawdry tale of the former Playboy centerfold laying in bed watchiing her favorite all-boy tape. On a recent talk show, Don Clark, former FBI agent turned private eye for Virgie Arthur lawyer John O’Quinn, denied he was the source. He did tell Geraldo that he heard the nannies tell the same story when he met with them in the Bahamas. Only…the women deny it and so does their lawyer, Elizabeth Thompson.
We’ve also learned there was another investigator at that meeting in the Bahamas who works with Clark, Wilma Vicedomine, of Houston. We’ve tried e-mailing Wilma, who goes by Wilma Vice, hoping she’ll relate what she heard, and whether she’s the mystery PI Rita claims as a source for Nannygate…but so far, no response.
We’ll have more on some of the colorful, mystery players who keep emerging in this sordid tale, so stay tuned.