Janice Dickinson’s lawsuit against Bill Cosby can proceed

Model Janice Dickinson's defamation lawsuit against Bill Cosby can move forward after the California Supreme Court refused an appeal from the comedian.

Model Janice Dickinson outside Los Angeles Superior Court in 2016

Model Janice Dickinson appears outside Los Angeles Superior Court in 2016. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

Model Janice Dickinson’s defamation lawsuit against Bill Cosby can move forward after the California Supreme Court refused an appeal from the comedian.

The court said on its website Thursday that it was declining to review Cosby’s appeal, which had put the case on hold.

Dickinson said in 2014 that Cosby drugged and raped her in Lake Tahoe in 1982, then sued him after he and his representatives said her claims were false.

Cosby’s attorneys had appealed Dickinson’s use of a press release and a letter to media outlets as evidence, saying that would violate First Amendment rights.

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Dickinson’s lawyer, Lisa Bloom, says they’ll keep fighting to get the case to trial no matter how many appeals are filed.

An attorney for Cosby didn’t immediately reply to a message seeking comment.

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