Jane Does in Cosby case seek secrecy

By NICOLE WEISENSEE EGAN weisenn@phillynews.com Jane Doe No. 1 does not want her elderly parents to be subjected to a media frenzy. Jane Doe No. 2 has bipolar disorder and fears releasing her identity would worsen her condition. And Jane Doe No. 3 works at a casino and fears she would lose her job if she were thrust into the media spotlight because of her claims. These were among the reasons 10 Jane Doe witnesses gave yesterday for why they do not want their identities released publicly in the civil case in which they claim comedian Bill Cosby drugged and/or sexually assaulted them, according to a motion filed in federal court. The women came forward to support Andrea Constand, who has accused the entertainer of drugging and sexually assaulting her at his mansion in Cheltenham, Montgomery County, in January 2004. No criminal charges were filed against Cosby but in March, Constand filed a civil suit against him. All together, 14 women have accused Cosby of similar misdeeds, including Constand. Constand's attorneys, Dolores Troiani and Bebe Kivitz, filed a motion earlier this year asking a federal judge to keep the Jane Does' identities secret. The judge denied the motion on June 2 but gave the Jane Does until today to file motions for secrecy on their own behalf. California attorney Tamara Green, one of the 14 accusers, already went public with her story. Jane Doe No. 5, who has not yet told her story publicly, was the only Jane Doe witness who is not requesting her identity be kept private, the motion filed yesterday said. On Friday, Constand's attorneys filed a motion on behalf of Jane Doe No. 8, who also wishes to remain anonymous. They asked that the judge give her until Nov. 1 to hire an attorney and file a motion because her husband is about to undergo a bone marrow transplant and faces a significant recovery period. *