Bill Cosby At Hearing To Decide If Criminal Charges Against Him Will Be Dismissed

Bill Cosby at his hearing on Tuesday, Feb. 2, in Norristown, Pa.

Alejandro A. Alvarez / AP

Bill Cosby arrived in court Tuesday at a hearing where his lawyers are pushing to get the only criminal charges against him dismissed based on what they say is the former district attorney's promise years ago not to prosecute the comedian.

In December 2015, Cosby was arrested and charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault, a second-degree felony, which stemmed from an investigation into an incident of alleged sexual assault that occurred at the comedian’s home in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, in 2004. This was the first time criminal charges were brought against the embattled comedian.

The victim, Andrea Constand, who met Cosby through her work at Temple University between 2001 and 2004, accused him of drugging and sexually assaulting her.

Cosby has been accused of sexual assault by more than 40 women over the years and has denied all allegations. He is currently involved in defamation lawsuits against some of them.

In January, Cosby filed a motion to dismiss the criminal charges against him, claiming that prosecutors had promised years ago not to file charges against him in exchange for his testimony in a 2005 civil lawsuit brought by Constand. He claimed that he had made a "binding non-prosecution agreement" with the former Montgomery County District Attorney, Bruce Castor, who is reported to be the defense's key witness at Tuesday's hearing. Castor has insisted that he made an agreement with Cosby's then lawyer, Walter M. Phillips Jr., who died last year.

Cosby’s legal team will also ask the court to disqualify the current Montgomery County district attorney, Kevin Steele, from prosecuting the case. Steele has said there is no evidence of a written agreement needed to get the case against Cosby dismissed. Cosby's motion also contended that the comedian suffers from memory loss and poor eyesight that have left him "substantially impaired" and unable to defend himself.

LINK: Bill Cosby Demands Dismissal Of Sex Assault Charges

LINK: Pennsylvania Prosecutors Charge Bill Cosby With Felony Assault

LINK: The Long Road To Criminal Charges Against Bill Cosby

LINK: Prosecutor Promised During Campaign To Be Tough On Cosby

LINK: Women Who Have Accused Bill Cosby Of Sexual Assault React To Criminal Charge

LINK: Here Are All The Women Who Have Accused Bill Cosby Of Sexual Assault

from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/1JVD9Qq