Cos challenges anonymity of accusers

By NICOLE WEISENSEE EGAN weisenn@phillynews.com Bill Cosby 's attorneys yesterday filed a motion objecting to anonymity requests by 11 Jane Doe witnesses in a civil suit against the entertainer. "Defendant does not wish to intrude on the privacy interests of persons who would prefer to remain anonymous," the motion said. "At the same time, defendant believes it would be fundamentally unfair to permit anyone to publicize allegations of alleged sexual misconduct while, at the same time, cloaking their names from public view. " Cosby's attorneys also questioned the motives for the anonymity requests. It "appears that the real point of seeking anonymity at this stage is to tar the defendant's reputation in the media with anonymous accusations by individuals who may or may not be willing to testify at a public trial," the motion said. The motion was part of a civil suit filed by former Temple employee Andrea Constand, 31. Constand claims Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her at his Cheltenham Township, Montgomery County, mansion in January 2004. Earlier this year, authorities declined to press criminal charges against Cosby. U.S. District Judge Eduardo Robreno will hear arguments on the anonymity issue today in federal court. Bebe Kivitz and Dolores Troiani, Constand's attorneys, also filed a motion asking the judge to give Jane Doe No. 8 until November to file a protective order on her own behalf because her husband is about to undergo a bone-marrow transplant. In their motion yesterday, Cosby's attorneys said they had no position on Jane Doe No. 8's request, other than to note that it was made by the plaintiff, not the witness herself. *