PHILADELPHIA - Bill Cosby's lawyers say recent criminal charges filed against him in Pennsylvania violate a prosecutor's pledge he would never be charged over a 2004 encounter with a Temple University employee.
The defence team said Monday the agreement not to file charges prompted Cosby to testify in a related civil lawsuit without invoking his Fifth Amendment rights.
A prosecutor filed felony sexual-assault charges against Cosby last month in part because of statements the "Cosby Show" star made in that deposition.
The defence lawyers accuse the newly elected prosecutor of playing politics with the case to win election. They want Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele's office removed from the case if the charges aren't dropped. Steele hasn't returned a message seeking comment.
Cosby is due in court Feb. 2 for a preliminary hearing.
