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 The move by the historically black women's liberal arts
college in Atlanta is the latest blow to Cosby, whose career has
been wrecked by allegations from more than 40 women who say they
were raped or molested after he plied them with drugs or alcohol
in incidents dating back decades.
"The William and Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby Endowed
Professorship at Spelman College has been discontinued and funds
related to the professorship have been returned," spokeswoman
Audrey Arthur said in a terse emailed statement.
The statement did not say how much money was returned. Cosby and
his wife Camille donated $20 million to the school in 1988, some
of which was used to endow the professorship. The funds were
also used to build an academic center named after Camille Cosby.
Cosby, 78, has never been criminally charged in any of the
cases, and his attorneys say his testimony in a deposition
recently released from a civil case he settled with one of his
accusers has been distorted.
Last week, the entertainer lost a bid to fend off a lawsuit
accusing him of sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl at the
Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles in 1974, when the California
Supreme Court on Wednesday denied the comedian's petition to
review the case.
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The accuser's attorney, Gloria Allred, said the decision cleared the
way for litigation brought by Judy Huth, now in her 50s, to proceed,
and that she intended to take Cosby's sworn deposition within the
next 30 days.
There was no immediate response from Cosby or his lawyers, who have
consistently denied allegations of sexual misconduct lodged against
the performer.
The setbacks for Cosby came as his defense team mounted a new public
relations blitz on his behalf.
(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein in Sacramento, California; Editing by
Eric Walsh)
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