This photo combination of file photos show, Andrea Constand, left, walking to the courtroom during Bill Cosby’s sexual assault trial June 6, 2017, at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa.; and Bill Cosby, right, arriving for his sexual assault trial June 16, 2017, at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — An ex-prosecutor says his decision not to charge Bill Cosby with drugging and molesting a woman led to the comedian paying his accuser a settlement “well into the millions of dollars.”
Bruce Castor’s assertion in a lawsuit Thursday is the first time anyone has put a value on the settlement.
Castor’s lawsuit says accuser Andrea Constand and her lawyers harmed his reputation and cost him a chance to return as district attorney in suburban Philadelphia.
The settlement’s terms are confidential. The lawsuit doesn’t explain how Castor would know how much it was. His and Constand’s lawyers didn’t immediately return messages.
Castor has testified that his decision to not prosecute was intended to let Cosby speak freely at a civil deposition.
A new prosecutor charged Cosby after excerpts from that testimony were made public. A June trial ended in a mistrial. A retrial is scheduled for April.
The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Constand has done.
