“The plaintiffs have settled their claims against Mr. Cosby,” a lawyer for the seven women, Joseph Cammarata, said. “Each of the plaintiffs is satisfied with the settlement.”
Cammarata said the details of the settlement were confidential and were awaiting the judge’s approval.
A spokesman for Cosby confirmed that a settlement had been reached, but insisted Cosby was not paying. Instead, he said, Cosby’s insurance company, American International Group, was.
“Mr. Cosby did not settle any cases with anyone,” said the spokesman, Andrew Wyatt. “He is not paying anything to anyone.”
Wyatt added: “AIG decided to settle these cases, without the knowledge, permission and/or consent of Mr. Cosby. Mr. Cosby vehemently denies the allegations brought against him in these defamation suits, and he maintains his innocence.”
The defamation claims are separate from Cosby’s criminal case in Pennsylvania, in which he was found guilty last year of drugging and sexually assaulting a woman, Andrea Constand, at his home near Philadelphia in 2004. Cosby, 81, is serving a sentence of three to 10 years at a maximum-security prison, although he has appealed the verdict and continues to maintain his innocence.
After they came forward with their own accusations of sexual assault, the seven women could not sue Cosby on grounds directly related to their accusations because the statute of limitations for such cases had expired. Instead, they filed defamation suits, asserting that they had been branded liars.
Cosby denied all the allegations, and fought the claims in the suit, first filed in 2014 by one woman, Tamara Green, and subsequently joined by others: Therese Serignese, Linda Traitz, Barbara Bowman, Joan Tarshis, Louisa Moritz and Angela Leslie. (Moritz, an actress, died in January at age 72.)
Cosby also filed counterclaims against the women, saying they had tarnished his reputation by their actions. Wyatt, his spokesman, said that despite the AIG settlement, Cosby would still pursue these counterclaims against the women.
As the case has proceeded, Cosby’s legal bills have mounted, but he is covered by a home insurance policy that provides “personal injury” coverage in a range of circumstances, including lawsuits that accuse the policy holder of defamation.
AIG tried to limit its exposure, arguing in court that it was not compelled to cover claims stemming from sexual misconduct. But judges in Massachusetts and California sided with Cosby.
A spokesman for AIG did not respond to a request for comment Friday.
Other women filed lawsuits against Cosby, and three other cases remain active in courtrooms around the country.
In one of the cases, filed in California, Janice Dickinson, the former model who says Cosby raped her in a Lake Tahoe hotel room in 1982, has accused him of defamation. A representative for Dickinson did not respond to a request for comment.
In the two other cases, the two women were able to bring suits related directly to their accusations of sexual assault.
The civil suits had largely been on hold while the criminal trial played out. In the Massachusetts case, Cosby’s wife, Camille, had been deposed. Cammarata said that if Cosby continued to pursue the counterclaims against the women, he would continue with his plan to depose Cosby in prison in Pennsylvania and seek other documents and evidence.
Cosby’s official Twitter feed, managed by his representatives, posted several messages Friday proclaiming that he had not agreed to the settlement, with hashtags including #BillCosbyDeniedSettlement, #AIGSettlesWithoutBillCosbyConsent and #BillCosbyWillNotPayADime.”
As a matter of practice, insurance companies may not need a client’s permission to settle a case under some circumstances. Asked whether Cosby would agree to release AIG from its responsibility to cover him so he could continue to fight the women’s lawsuits on his own, his spokesman did not immediately respond.