The graphic, 1,000-page deposition Bill Cosby fought so hard to keep from the public is a secret no longer.
In a bombshell exclusive released Saturday night, The New York Times revealed excerpts from the 2005 deposition that contained Cosby's own testimony to detailed questions posed to him by the lawyer for Andrea Constand, a Canadian woman who brought a civil suit against the entertainer after informing Canadian authorities and accusing Cosby of battery and assault, that he drugged and molested her.
In the deposition, however, Cosby claims their sexual relationship was consensual, and details his alleged extensive and calculated pursuit of Constand over a period of years under the guise of a mentor-mentee relationship, according to the Times piece.
The Times reports that Cosby told lawyers for Constand that he was a "pretty decent reader of people and their emotions in these romantic sexual things,'' according to the transcript.
He said he offered to pay for Constand's education and paid another woman whom he had met in 1976. He said he funnelled money to one of the women he had sex with through his agent so his wife wouldn't find out.
Cosby's publicist, David Brokaw, did not immediately return a message seeking comment late Saturday.
Constand was not the only target: Cosby reveals in the deposition his pursuit of several women, using his power, influence and, sometimes after sex, money to keep the women from embarrassing him. The Times piece reveals further details about Cosby's disregard for women he pursued, the fact that he hid his actions from his wife, and that he admitted to acquiring and sharing quaaludes.
Cosby has denied accusations made by dozens of women who say he sexually assaulted them. He has never been charged with a crime.
At points during the deposition, Cosby also described his sexual encounters with the women in detail.
Cosby and Constand eventually settled the case, and the deposition, while never sealed, was not made public until after a related memorandum was released earlier this month at the request of the Associated Press, and the Times acquired the full deposition through a court reporting service.
Although Cosby had faced and dismissed allegations in the years following the settlement with Constand, the 78-year old entertainer came under renewed fire after comedian Hannibal Buress called out the rape allegations against Cosby in a stand-up routine in October 2014.
With files from The Associated Press