Camille Cosby refused to answer 98 questions during deposition and said she never read her husband's testimony admitting he obtained sedatives to give to women he wanted to have sex with

Camille Cosby utilized her spousal privilege and refused to answer 98 questions during her deposition in the defamation lawsuit brought against Bill Cosby by seven women.

Previous efforts failed to get her out of testifying against her husband, and on February 22, in Springfield, Massachusetts, she gave a deposition which was videotaped. A partial transcript was released on Monday.

While she refused to answer several questions, Camille did say she never read a deposition in which Bill Cosby acknowledged he obtained sedatives to give to women he was planning to have sex with, according to the transcript.

Seven women have filed a defamation lawsuit accusing Bill Cosby of harming their reputations when he defended himself against sexual assault claims and branded them as liars.

Camille Cosby (right) utilized her spousal privilege and refused to answer 98 questions during her deposition in the defamation lawsuit brought against Bill Cosby by seven women (pictured, with Bill Cosby in 2014)

Previous efforts failed to get her out of testifying against her husband, and on February 22, in Springfield, Massachusetts, she gave a deposition which was recorded. A partial transcript was released on Monday

Camille and her lawyers filed several motions to avoid and delay testifying against her husband, arguing at one point that the court appearance would 'serve no purpose other than to harass and embarrass her'.

The motions were denied, but a US District Court judge in Massachusetts ruled that she could refuse to answer questions under the state's marital disqualification rule, which generally prohibits spouses from testifying about private marital conversations.

An excerpt of Camille Cosby's deposition was attached to a court filing by Bill Cosby's lawyers on Monday, seeking to suspend the defamation case while a separate criminal case is pending against him in Pennsylvania. 

In addition to the defamation case, Cosby is charged with sexually assaulting former Temple University employee Andrea Constand.

In the Constand case, Cosby acknowledged in a 2005 deposition, made public last year, that he gave Quaaludes, a sedative, to at least one woman. 

He then answered 'yes' when asked whether he obtained Quaaludes thinking he would use them for young women he wanted to have sex with. 

In the transcript of her deposition given in February, Camille said she learned of Constand's allegations through her husband, and said she was aware that he had given a deposition in the case.

However, when the lawyer for the seven women asked whether she had read the deposition Bill gave in the Constand case, she simply answered: 'No'.

He continued to grill her about her knowledge of his sworn testimony, finally asking: 'Sitting here today you have no understanding of what topics or what statements your husband made at the deposition; is that your testimony?'

She replied with a curt: 'That is my testimony.' 

The back-and-forth between Camille Cosby's lawyers and the lawyer for the seven women, Joseph Cammarata, later became combative.

While Camille skipped a number of questions, she did say she never read a deposition in which Bill Cosby acknowledged he obtained sedatives to give to women he was planning to have sex with, according to the transcript

When Cammarata asked her whether she had a discussion with her husband about the substance of his deposition testimony in the Constand case, Camille Cosby initially said she didn't want to answer before saying: 'That is just communication between my husband and me.'

After her lawyer advised her that she can answer 'yes' or 'no' to whether she had discussed it without divulging what was said, Camille Cosby answered, 'Yes,' saying she did discuss his deposition testimony with him.

But when Cammarata asked her when it happened, who might have been around during the conversation, where it took place, how long they talked or what they talked about, Camille said she didn't not remember.

The seven women who brought the defamation lawsuit are among about 50 women who have accused Cosby of sexual misconduct. He has denied their allegations.

Cosby, 78, has pleaded not guilty in the Pennsylvania case involving Constand, which is the only criminal case against him.

Through a spokesman, lawyers for Bill and Camille Cosby declined to comment on Camille Cosby's deposition. Cammarata also declined to comment.